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EF1 tornado in Crook County, Wyoming

Tornado August 19, 2024 · Crook County, Wyoming

EF1
Rating
2.5 mi
Path length
300 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 300 yards (0.17 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

A tornado developed over the Bear Lodge Mountains, about 8 miles south of Alva, and tracked east-southeast for about two and a half miles. Numerous pine trees were either uprooted or snapped in half along its path. The estimated damage width was over a quarter mile in some areas, although some of the damage on the southern edge of the tornado was more consistent with straight line winds. No damage to property was noted. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 10 minutes with a speed of about 15 to 20 mph. The tornado was rated as an EF-1 with estimated winds up to 110 mph.

The wider storm

A thunderstorm became severe in northwest Crook County and tracked east-southeast across the county. The storm produced hail up to baseball size and wind gusts to 80 mph. The Devils Tower area sustained significant damage to trees and property. The storm also became tornadic for a brief period over the Bear Lodge Mountains, south of Alva. Many trees were either uprooted or snapped in half along the path, but no property was impacted by the tornado.

Began near Alva (44.5776, -104.4974).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1204424. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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