Winds Spread Damage Through Valley

Microbursts associated with a mid-afternoon storm that ripped through Jackson Hole yesterday left a certain amount of damage in its wake.  Emergency Management Coordinator Rich Ochs says damage reported to him included trees toppled onto the Painted Buffalo Motel and the carport entrance at neighboring Jackson Hole Lodge.  Ochs says Lower Valley Energy reported several downed power lines and cottonwoods along High School Road were also knocked over by the wind.  Likewise, Ochs says about 20 cottonwoods were damaged by the wind at Lost Creek Guest Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.  Ochs says one gust was clocked at the county courthouse at 59 miles per hour.  The storm came on the heels of unseasonably high temperatures around Northwestern Wyoming.  The national weather service recorded a high temperature of 84° in the Jackson Hole area by mid-afternoon, approaching the record high for this date of 89° in 1988.  Meanwhile, record highs were unofficially set in Yellowstone as well yesterday when Mammoth reached 84° topping the previous record of 82° set in 1969 and Old Faithful reached 77° which surpassed the 74° high set in 1987.  Today’s temperature is not expected to be as warm.  Meanwhile, microbursts associated with a mid-afternoon storm.