FLASHBACK: Massive Tornado Footage Captured in Laramie, Wyoming

Wyoming is not known for its tornados, but that does not mean we don't get our fair share.

A storm chaser by the name of James Hammett captured some awesome footage of EF3 rated tornado back on June 6th, 2018. Hammett uploaded the video to his official YouTube channel, along with a caption that read:

0:30 condensation funnel fully forms
1:36 parked
4:15 parked & tornado crossing highway
6:23 cloud-to-ground lightning (right)
7:49 debris from RFD (left)
7:58 RFD strikes car
8:55 developing anticyclonic tornado strikes car

 

This tornado formed 8 miles north of Laramie, Wyoming and is shown here crossing U.S. Route 30, the historic Lincoln Highway. It rapidly intensified, tearing up grass and dirt as it traveled over mainly open fields. The tornado followed the contour of the land up and over the Laramie mountain range for over 45 minutes before dissipating. It was rated an EF-3 by the National Weather Service.

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To get a better understanding of the tornado, the National Weather Service uses the Enhanced Fujita scale (abbreviated as EF-Scale). This particular twister was rated EF3, which means:

• Wind Speed Estimate: 136-165 mph
• Frequency: 2.18%
• Severe damage
• Roofs and numerous outside walls blown away from frame homes, all trees in its path uprooted or lofted. Two-story homes have their second floor destroyed, high-rises have many windows blown out, radio towers blown down, metal buildings (i.e. factories, power plants, and construction sites) are heavily damaged, sometimes completely destroyed. Large vehicles such as tractors, buses, and forklifts are blown from their original positions.

Hammett actually captured the twister from a separate angle from a different camera that was equally breathtaking (shown below).