High-Impact Weather and Climate Events

An F1 tornado touched down on the west side of Washington Boulevard and traveled north for approximately 1.25 miles. Numerous trees were downed, causing major damage to two homes.

A convective rain event near Kittredge caused severe flooding in Mount Vernon Canyon and Bear Creek; many motorists were caught and 6 were killed.

Above-average late-season snowpack combined with hot weather and and heavy rain caused widespread flooding. Flood waters damaged infrastructure and private property, and resulted in crop and livestock losses. One person died in Sheridan. The failure of an earthen dam in Lander resulted in damage to homes and inundated part of the town.

Severe thunderstorm caused flooding, lightning damage, hail, high winds, and mudslides. Heavy rain caused 9 mudslides in American Fork Canyon, and basement flooding in Davis County. Lightning struck a house in Holladay, causing a fire. Widespread damage was reported to roofs, power poles, and trees.

A stationary thunderstorm brought flash flooding and an estimated 3" of rain to Kaycee. The flooding, with depths up to 4', did damage to 19 trailers and 22 houses, and 12 businesses. There were Doppler radar rainfall estimates of 7" to 7.5" along Murphy Creek in southern Johnson County. Also, rain gage measurements in excess of 4" were reported in this area. Most of the rain fell between midnight and 4 a.m. A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Riverton office determined that Murphy Creek was at one point 300 yards wide and 20' deep near Lone Bear Road.

"A large tornado estimated to be 1/2 mile wide in diameter caused approximately $300,000 damage to a farmstead near Elba as it destroyed several grain silos, storage sheds and vehicles. Only the home on the farm was spared." - NOAA

A tornado on the evening of the 28th cut a swath, averaging about 0.25-mile in width, from six miles west of Newcastle to the northeast ending near the county line. Farm buildings in the path were damaged or destroyed, with the loss estimated at $50,000.

At 7:30 p.m. an F3 tornado moved through a ranch 19 miles west of Cheyenne. The tornado destroyed several buildings and killed or injured cattle. In crossing the highway a few minutes later the tornado caught an auto-transport truck and turned it over several times, seriously injuring the driver. The storm then continued toward the north-northwest for an unknown distance.

Thunderstorms produced a high elevation F3 tornado with hail and microburst winds. The tornado began in Ashley National Forest and moved from the southwest, touching down three times with a path of up to 1/2 mi. wide. One thousand acres of woodland were affected, with many trees uprooted and some up to 18 inches in diameter snapped. 125 scouts were camped near the third touchdown; no injuries were reported but falling trees damaged four vechicles.

The longest (2.8 miles) and largest mass-movement earth failure in Colorado history occurred 3 hours after a short, intense rainstorm, and two weeks after a late spring snowstorm. The fast-moving landslide dropped 2100 feet in elevation and covered almost a square mile of the West Salt Creek valley with 38 million cubic yards of debris. Three local men, who were investigating an earlier, much smaller, landslide, died during the catastrophic event. The toe of the landslide came within 200 feet of active gas-production wellheads. The loss of irrigation ditches and water impacted local ranches and residents.