Alert archive / Wyoming / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Riverton, WY

May 17, 1991Fremont County, Wyoming

NWS Riverton, WY issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1991, 8:14 PM MDT for Fremont County, Wyoming. It was in force for 31 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 17, 1991, 8:14 PM MDT (02:14 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 1991, 8:45 PM MDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Riverton, WY
Area
Whole counties

County Fremont County, WY

The nearest sounding before it

Lander/Hunt Fiel, WY (KLND), launched 00:00Z, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 25 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lander/Hunt Fiel, WY at 00:00Z on 1991-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 6 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lander/Hunt Fiel, WY at 00:00Z on 1991-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 207 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
6 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-88 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1060 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
207 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
408 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KLND 180215
TORLND
WYC013-180245-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANDER WY
814 PM MDT FRI MAY 17 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LANDER WY HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  845 PM MDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN WEST CENTRAL WYOMING
 
   ...CENTRAL FREMONT COUNTY
 
AT 800 PM MDT TWO TORNADOES WERE SPOTTED ON THE GROUND NEAR THE CITIES
OF RIVERTON AND FORT WASHAKIE. AN OFF DUTY POLICE OFFICER SAW ONE
TORNADO TOUCH DOWN ABOUT 15 MILES NORTH OF RIVERTON. THE RIVERTON
SHERRIFS OFFICE REPORTED ANOTHER TORNADO 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF FORT
WASHAKIE.
KPL
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 17, 4:39 PM MDT, 3 hours 35 minutes before
WYZ008-009-172330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANDER WY
438 PM MDT FRI MAY 17 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING INTO WESTERN FREMONT COUNTY...

AT 430 PM MDT RADAR AND LIGHTNING DETECTION CHARTS SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS
MOVING INTO WESTERN FREMONT COUNTY. MOST OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN
SUBLETTE COUNTY MOVING NORTHEAST AT AROUND 25 MILES AN HOUR. AREAS SOUTH
OF BIG PINEY WERE RECEIVING HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL. FARSON...45 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF SOUTH PASS CITY...HAD NUMEROUS LIGHTNING STRIKES WITH THE
THUNDERSTORMS.

PEOPLE IN NORTHERN SUBLETTE COUNTY AND WESTERN FREMONT COUNTY SHOULD BE
PREPARED FOR THUNDERSTORMS. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTAIN
HEAVY RAIN...STRONG WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. MOVE TO SHELTER IF LIGHTNING
OR STRONG STORMS APPROACH YOUR AREA. ALSO...DO NOT TRY TO DRIVE THROUGH
WATER OVER ROADS.
LYNOTT
Special weather statement, May 17, 6:15 PM MDT, 1 hour 59 minutes before
WYZ008-009-010-180130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANDER WY
615 PM MDT FRI MAY 17 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS WERE INCREASING ACROSS WEST CENTRAL WYOMING...

AT 605 PM MDT THE LANDER AIRPORT HAD A THUNDERSTORM WITH DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING. RAIN WAS FALLING ACROSS MOST OF WEST CENTRAL WYOMING
AND SMALL HAIL WAS REPORTED NEAR PINEDALE. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT AROUND 25 MILES AN HOUR. THE WIND RIVER BASIN CAN EXPECT
THUNDERSTORMS WITH RAIN FOR THE NEXT HOUR.

PEOPLE IN WEST CENTRAL WYOMING...ESPECIALLY FREMONT COUNTY...SHOULD BE
PREPARED FOR THUNDERSTORMS. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTAIN
HEAVY RAIN...STRONG WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. MOVE TO SHELTER IF LIG`HTNING
OR A STRONG STORM APPROACHES. ALSO...DO NOT TRY TO DRIVE THROUGH WATER
OVER ROADS.
LYNOTT

The office that day

Everything else NWS Riverton, WY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 5:27 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRIWPark63 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Wyoming, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.