Possible tornado damages campers in Bighorn Mountains

Posted 7/28/15

 

He said the agency is investigating whether a tornado caused the damage or if it was extreme wind.

"It is possible (that it was a tornado), but it's not confirmed," Hattings said, adding, “We'll be doing a survey tomorrow."

Though he …

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Possible tornado damages campers in Bighorn Mountains

Posted

A powerful storm system caused significant damage in the Bighorn Mountains on Monday afternoon.

The National Weather Service had received reports of seven damaged camping vehicles as of Monday night, said Chris Hattings, a weather service meteorologist in Riverton.

 

He said the agency is investigating whether a tornado caused the damage or if it was extreme wind.

"It is possible (that it was a tornado), but it's not confirmed," Hattings said, adding, “We'll be doing a survey tomorrow."

Though he wasn't certain about the location of the damage, Hattings described the area as being off of U.S. Highway 14-A near the Big Horn County/Sheridan County line.

According to the National Weather Service, wind gusts of up to 76 miles an hour were reported in the southern Bighorn Mountains at 4:40 p.m.

Other high winds buffeted the region this afternoon, with gusts of up to 63 miles an hour reported at the Cowley Airport. Spots near Cody and Clark were hit with gusts of up to 56 miles an hour, according to weather service data.

In a post on the National Weather Service's Facebook page, Gail Odeg of Hyattville said there was "big damage" dealt to the area sometime around 4:30 to 4:45 p.m. Odeg said in her post that she lost part of the roof of her shop and her carport, which was "scattered over a very long distance."

"I believe we got hit by a tornado but cannot say for sure, since it did not bother my neighbor across the street," she said, saying another neighbor lost a bunch of trees and most of their shingles.

Hattings said more information will be available tomorrow.

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