Tornado Central

EF3 Tornado Touches Down in Wyoming For the First Time in Over 30 Years

At a Glance

An EF3 tornado touched down near Gillette, Wyoming, on Friday.
Significant damage was observed in the Oriva Hills subdivision, where two were injured.
The last EF3/F3 or stronger tornado to occur in Wyoming was in 1987.

A rare EF3 tornado touched down in Wyoming Friday afternoon, the first time an EF3/F3 or stronger tornado has been confirmed in the state since 1987.

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The twister touched down around 1:44 p.m. MDT some 10 miles west-northwest of Gillette, Wyoming. It was on the ground for approximately eight minutes as it traveled in an east-northeast direction over the Oriva Hills subdivision, the National Weather Service said.

This was only the 10th EF3/F3 or stronger tornado to tear through Wyoming in records dating to 1950, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. The last occurrence was nearly 31 years ago on July 21, 1987, when an F4 tornado touched down in Teton County, Wyoming.

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The EF3 tornado was seen in the Oriva Hills subdivision near Gillette, Wyoming, on Friday, June 1, 2018.
(Suzanne Hansen)

Friday's tornado destroyed and damaged numerous homes and outbuildings, rolled vehicles and snapped electrical transmission poles and trees, the NWS added. Estimated peak winds reached 136 mph.

Photos shared by the Campbell County, Wyoming, government and the NWS office in Rapid City, South Dakota, showed the extent of this damage, which resulted in two injuries.

This photo shows significant damage in the Oriva Hills subdivision near Gillette, Wyoming.
(NWS-Rapid City)

The tornado sirens were activated but did not function properly, the Campbell County government wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday.

How Tornadoes Are Rated

Since 2007, tornadoes have been rated on the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF0 to EF5) based on the damage they cause.

This scale is an upgraded version of the original Fujita Scale developed in 1971 by Dr. Ted Fujita, a University of Chicago severe storms research scientist.

Tornado intensity cannot be determined while they are in progress or by their appearance.

Meteorologists from the NWS survey areas where tornado damage has occurred. They then use the Enhanced Fujita Scale to estimate the maximum winds in the tornado.

Brian Donegan is a meteorologist at weather.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.