‘We were extremely lucky’

FORT LARAMIE – While many Goshen County residents were taking in the fair Thursday afternoon, those in Fort Laramie were taking cover. A forceful storm blew through the small town July 27, toppling trees, power lines and creating “near misses”
for many residents.
Thursday morning, the National Weather Service out of Cheyenne issued a severe thunderstorm warning for eastern Goshen County, with winds up to 70 mph and nickel-sized
hail possible.
Later that day, after the storm hit, rumors spread that Fort Laramie had experienced a tornado – its second of the summer.

Monday, Shelly Kirchhefer of Goshen County Emergency Management, dispelled the tornado buzz, telling the Telegram the town had instead felt the brunt of straight-line winds.
“We watched (the storm) come,” she said. “All of us responded. The wind blew one power pole down (in Fort Laramie), and other lines were tangled in tree limbs. After assessing the situation and speaking with the weather service, they determined it was not a tornado, but straight-line winds.”
“The Fort Laramie area did observe a severe thunderstorm on (July 27) from about 3:35 to 3:55 PM,” Chad Hahn, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any wind observation sites in that area to measure wind speeds. However, the damage that was reported to us near Fort Laramie and downstream to Torrington (trees, power lines, roofs/buildings) was consistent with 60 to 80 mph straight-
line winds.”
Local power company, Wyrulec, reset the downed pole and restored power to the Fort Laramie area at approximately 5 a.m. Friday.
Arthur Lowther, Fort Laramie coordinator for Goshen County Emergency Management, said the winds came from the north and blew right down Laramie Ave. – the town’s main drag.
“From what I could tell, we had five trees that were knocked down in various spots through the middle of town,” he said. “We were extremely lucky … one tree came down on a partial roof, but there was no serious damage. Most missed homes by mere inches.”
There were no reports of injuries in Thursday’s storm.