Weather Causes Damage Statewide
Written by Andrew-Rossi on May 29, 2018
The weather wreaked havoc all over the state on Sunday, damaging property and forcing road closures from Cheyenne to Yellowstone.
The massive storm system that blew through Wyoming Sunday spawned a tornado that destroyed five homes and damaged numerous others near Cheyenne. The Red Cross of Wyoming is assisting eight adults following that disaster. Two other tornadoes in the area did not cause any damage, although a National Weather Service forecaster says there were several reports of hail up to 2 inches in diameter in parts of Laramie County.
In Casper flash flooding occurred in low-lying areas, and water was reported pouring through the ceiling at a restaurant in the Eastridge Mall.
Closer to home, the Greybull airport registered winds up to 78 miles per hour Sunday evening, which broke off tree branches and caused property damage from Greybull to Basin.
And a mudslide closed Highway 14 a half mile from the east entrance to Yellowstone, which caused WYDOT crews to work through the night to clear the road. Cody Beers from WYDOT says the slide happened about 1:30 pm Sunday. He says that same spot, called Unnamed Draw, has had mudslides 3 times in last 14 years. Although there is a small bridge there that handles most of the mud, Beers says it came so fast this time that some of the debris came on the road and prompted the closure until the mud could be cleared from the roadway.