• National Weather Service says “No evidence”
A powerful thunderstorm that rolled through southern Star Valley nearly two weeks ago has been described by some longtime residents as the strongest they have ever seen hit the area. The microburst directly impacted Fairview, Smoot and Osmond with Smoot receiving the majority of damage. The storm, which hit at roughly 7:30 p.m. on Friday, August 28, dropped large hail that damaged siding and broke windows and brought strong winds that tipped over trees and trailers and tore the roof off of sheds and barns.
Some residents in Smoot reported the presence of a tornado as part of the storm. However the National Weather Service (NWS) has not confirmed a tornado touchdown.
“Wind-driven hail up to quarter-sized was reported, and contributed to defoliation of some trees and siding damage on several structures,” stated the NWS in a report released Tuesday, September 8. “Damage occurred primarily in the Osmond, WY to Smoot, WY area, consistent with typical severe storm outflow. No evidence of tornadic winds seen from damage survey documentation, despite broad (not gate-to-gate) mesocyclone-scale rotation seen in radar imagery well above the surface.”
With or without an official tornado touching down, the impacts were still very present. Power was lost to more than 2,000 locations in the area due to trees on power lines and a total of broken power poles and a downed conductor. Lower Valley Energy immediately jumped into action to assess the damage and restore power, with 13 lineman and five support staff working through the night alongside Mountainside Power who assisted. Private contractors in the valley also assisted. Due to their efforts which took place throughout the night, most residents had power restored before 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning.
