Remembering the July 16, 1979 Cheyenne Tornado
The Most Destructive Tornado in Wyoming's History - July 16, 1979 Cheyenne Tornado
- 1979 WAS A CRAZY WEATHER YEAR IN CHEYENNE: Cheyenne Remembers The Thanksgiving Week Blizzard Of 1979
- MORE CHEYENNE WEATHER: The Worst Flood In Wyoming History – August 1, 1985
- RECORD-BREAKING CHEYENNE SNOW: Cheyenne Breaks 1-Day Snowfall Record, Sees 10 Inches in 4 Hours
READ MORE: FLASHBACK - Laramie, WY Tornado June 6, 2018
LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades
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