Strong winds cause chaos in Caribou

While strong winds in southeast Idaho (and especially Caribou County) are not rare, this weekend saw an especially intense period of sustained wind.  The wind was hard to ignore on Saturday as it tangled fishing lines, sent picnic plates flying, and generally made everything more difficult than it needed to be.  Sunday was a different story, though, as just after 3:00 in the afternoon gusts became strong enough to start causing problems on the ground.  Throughout the county, there were numerous reports of fallen trees, airborne trampolines, damages roofs, errant lawn decorations, and worse.  In Grace, the Stake Center building sustained damage to its roof as a result of the winds, and many people were without power for several hours in the Soda Springs area.  The various wind and power-related emergencies were responded to in an “all hands on deck” manner by the emergency responders across the valley, including the Grace Fire Department, Caribou County EMS, Sheriff’s Office, City of Soda Springs, Rocky Mountain Power, and others. 

In addition to the power outage, strong winds, and general pandemonium, there was also a brief but intense hailstorm in many areas.  Out like a lamb, indeed.  The National Weather Service officially reported that gusts in Caribou County were measured at 55 mph, although they may have been even stronger in some areas.