High Wind — Rock Springs & Green River, Wyoming

2017-06-12 · Rock Springs & Green River, Wyoming

Event narrative

High winds occurred in portions of the Rock Springs and Green River areas. The highest gust reported was 62 mph at the site on the west side of Rock Springs.

Wider weather episode

A combination of an abnormally strong upper level low, strong jet dynamics and an approaching cold front produced one of the biggest severe weather outbreaks across western and central Wyoming in many years. A total of 4 tornadoes were confirmed, including an EF2 tornado which was the strongest tornado that occurred in the NWS Riverton county warning area since 2001 which completely destroyed a trailer and threw it's base over 200 yards. There were also multiple reports of large hail, especially in Johnson County where hail up to tennis ball size was reported. In the dry slot across central and southern Wyoming, strong mid level winds mixed to the surface. The strongest winds were in the Lander foothills where wind gusts up to 76 mph occurred. Many trees were uprooted with some damage to outbuildings. Wind gusts 58 mph or over were also reported in Sweetwater County.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 697911. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.