| Event Narrative |
A large tornado touched down west of Wheatland and moved to the southeast across western Platte County. The tornado remained in contact with the ground for just over an hour before dissipating northeast of Chugwater. An NWS survey team rated the tornado an EF2 with maximum winds estimated between 130 and 135 mph. The damage assessment revealed the most significant damage to be along Olson Road, about 6 miles southwest of Wheatland. An unoccupied mobile home was completely destroyed, with unrecognizable debris spread about 50 yards from the foundation. A poorly constructed modular home with a crawl space was completely swept from its foundation, with parts of the metal frame found one quarter of a mile away. Many outbuildings on various properties were severely damaged or completely destroyed. A well-constructed one to two family home lost a large portion of the roof, but most of the walls remained intact with the exception of the garage. The most significant damage, however, was found near the intersection of Grange and Olson Roads. A very well constructed and recently completed barn was demolished, with debris found more than two miles away. In addition to the building damage, numerous large cottonwood trees were either snapped or uprooted but were not debarked. The tornado also derailed 6 empty rail cars about 6 miles northeast of Chugwater, shortly before it dissipated. The tornado crossed Interstate 25 just south of the Bordeaux exit at about 14:38 MST. No vehicles were affected by the tornado as it crossed the interstate. One person suffered minor injury from flying debris. |
