EF1 Tornado — Crook, Wyoming

2024-08-19 · near Alva, Crook, Wyoming

Event narrative

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.

Wider weather episode

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.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (44.5776, -104.4974)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1204424. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.