Thunderstorm Wind in Park County, Wyoming

A thunderstorm produced a microburst that caused damage in the Lake Village area of Yellowstone Park, along the north shore of Yellowstone Lake. Several hundred trees were downed by the wind. Some trees landed on vehicles. The Lake Yellowstone Hotel also suffered minor damage from falling trees. Some portions of the Lake Village had no power for two days. Damage estimates based on Yellowstone National Park News Release dated July 5, 2023.

A strong cold front and shortwave moved across Wyoming. Showers and thunderstorms mixed strong low level winds to the surface and brought numerous reports of wind gusts over 50 mph. The highest wind occurred in the Wind River Range where favored channeling brought wind gusts as high as 96 mph. In the lower elevations, the highest wind gust was 80 mph to the north of Casper. Wind gusts over 58 mph occurred in Fremont, Teton, Natrona, Sublette and Sweetwater Counties. In Fremont County, the wind capsized a kayak and threw two men into the water at Ocean Lake. One man could not be rescued and was presumed drowned. On the north shore of Lake Yellowstone, a microburst downed hundreds of trees in the Lake Village area of the park, blocking roads and causing a loss of power for multiple days.