Remembering the July 16, 1979 Cheyenne Tornado

The Most Destructive Tornado in Wyoming's History - July 16, 1979 Cheyenne Tornado

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Gallery Credit: KATELYN LEBOFF

July 16, 1979, the anniversary of the costliest tornado in Wyoming history.

National Weather Service office in Cheyenne: ''On July 16, 1979, the most destructive tornado in Wyoming's history occurred at Cheyenne. The main ingredient for the development of the Cheyenne F3 tornado was an outflow boundary from previous thunderstorms moving south across western Nebraska."

"In addition, abundant mid level moisture spread from the northeast and the presence of low level wind shear enhanced the risk for severe thunderstorms."

"The tornado was first reported at 3:10 PM by a weather service employee west of Cheyenne. The tornado began near the intersection of Vandehei Avenue and Valley View Road, and tracked to the east for approximately 9 miles."

"An estimated 200 homes were destroyed with 40 injuries and 1 fatality."

"The majority of the damage was over residential areas of Buffalo Ridge and a nearby mobile home park."

An interactive and zoomable map is available on this 40th Anniversary Dashboard. Use the top half of the page to explore the areas hit by the tornado in 1979 and what infrastructure/roads would be impacted today.

See the video HERE

Source: Remembering the July 16, 1979 Cheyenne Tornado