By Chrissy Suttles
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Wyoming News Exchange
CHEYENNE – Wyoming’s severe thunderstorm warnings have doubled this year, while regions of the country usually more susceptible to these weather patterns have seen a decline in activity.
So far in 2018, the National Weather Service has issued 359 thunderstorm warnings statewide – the highest that number has been since 2013, which saw a total of 379. The state’s average is 233.
Tornado warnings are also up. Between 2006 and 2017, Wyoming issued an average of 19 warnings per year. This year, bureaus have already issued 51 warnings, according to the NWS.
The Weather Service has specifications for issuing each severe weather warning.
“Whenever we suspect a thunderstorm might be producing 58 mph wind gusts or greater, hail 1 inch in diameter, or if we identify any funnel clouds, we issue a warning,” Cheyenne NWS forecaster Richard Emanuel said.
In May, three tornadoes touched down in Laramie County, substantially damaging several homes.
At least three more hit the county this summer.
A tornado in Albany County made national news in June when it spent an hour on the ground and, during the same month, a tornado hit Gillette, damaging seven homes and hospitalizing two people. It was the first EF3 tornado to be confirmed in the state since 1987.
Laramie County has seen another year of heavy hailstorms as well. A storm tore through Cheyenne in late July, causing serious damage to dozens of homes and vehicles. The NWS received reports of hail about the size of golf balls, which is about 1¾ inches in diameter, and slightly larger.
Although states such as Kansas and Oklahoma, often known for deadly severe weather, have seen a decrease in activity this year, local meteorologists said Wyoming’s activity is not unusual.
“We have had a little more moisture in the air this time around, and the weather patterns have been a little bit more favorable for severe weather,” Emanuel said. “Our proximity to the mountains and our high elevation contributes to storms being able to form easier, because, if we have sort of an eastwardly wind, it blows it up against the mountains and helps to lift the air and create storms.”
NWS meteorologist Nate Carter said peak storm season usually runs from May to July and tapers off by mid-August.
“Within the next couple of weeks, the storm systems should calm down,” he said. “While this season was a little more significant than previous (seasons), each year is a little different. I would not say this can be attributed to any significant change in climate until it becomes more of a trend.”