*All photos courtesy of Wheatlandradio.com
Here in Wyoming the only weather-related disasters I usually think about are blizzards, droughts, wildfires and perhaps floods. Add tornadoes to the list.
A tornado churned through Wheatland, Wyo., on Friday, June 7.
This tornado in Wheatland, Wyo., on Friday, June 8, was an F-2 on the Fujita-Pearson scale with winds clocked at 135 mph. It was a quarter-mile wide and traveled for 20 miles.
Someone took this from their front porch in Wheatland
Thankfully, only one person reported minor injuries but the tornado did destroy some houses and other structures. Wheatland, a small farming community, is 75 miles northeast of Laramie. Here in Laramie we got hail up to two inches in diameter the same day.
The F-2 tornado on June 8 near Wheatland, Wyo.
While Wyoming is not thought of as tornado-country, more than 620 tornadoes have been recorded here since 1950. A few of those have hit in the Laramie area; the most recent tornado hit was in 2008, an F-3 which tragically killed one person and injured dozens.
Tornadoes in Wyoming are rare but people still need to be aware that they happen here and be prepared.
The odds are so low that a tornado will hit us in Laramie that I won’t worry too much. Yet it’s good to know we have a cellar beneath our house that can shelter us and the dogs if needed. Nature is gorgeous yet deadly. I try not to get sucked into a state of complacency because the minute you do, an F-2 tornado or worse is bearing down on you and shredding your house, even in rural Wyoming.
Do you have a tornado story to share?
Reblogged this on cheyennecharlie and commented:
Frightening electrical storm during the night, here in Cheyenne .
Posted by CheyenneCharlie | June 10, 2012, 5:38 pmI enjoy witnessing the power of electrical storms as long as I’m in a safe place; mountain biking with lightning striking all around is not my favorite.
Posted by Primal Outdoors | June 10, 2012, 6:07 pm