Tag: thunderstorm

James Palmer goes skydiving with Broncos’ Thunderstorm team

Terrell Davis and James Palmer explore Thunderstruck, the Broncos’ skydiving team.

In the fourth installment of the “Salute to Broncos Country” series, Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis and NFL writer James Palmer go in-depth with Thunderstorm, the Denver Broncos‘ skydiving team.

The elite team jumps from a plane a mile above Empower Field at Mile High every home game to deliver the game ball and fire up the crowd. Davis asked two members of Thunderstorm how many jumps they’ve done, and one of them answered, “About 10,000.”

The high-flying members of Thunderstorm meticulously train every summer before the season begins. During the season, the team jump the day of the game, to get a lay of where the NFL skycam cables and various other obstructions could be.

At the end of the video, Palmer goes up with Thunderstorm and does a skydiving jump, the first of his life.

Davis and Palmer have already highlighted several well-known traditions and fan-favorite attractions  during their “Salute to Broncos Country,” such as a game of “Where’s Miles the Mascot?,” a mix-and-match of the new Mile High collection of uniforms and a how-to video on how to properly do the “Mile High Salute.”

You can watch the newest installment below, courtesy of the Broncos’ official YouTube channel.

Damaging thunderstorm hits Yellowstone; ‘Like a hurricane’

A severe thunderstorm swept across the southern portion of Yellowstone National Park late Monday, downing trees and snarling traffic.

**UPDATED to include information supplied by Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday, July 5

A severe thunderstorm swept across the southern portion of Yellowstone National Park late Monday, uprooting trees and snarling traffic.

According to the park, no serious injuries were reported and disruptions to visitor services were minimal.

On Monday night, Dave Reeves, a guide for Yellowstone Tour Guides, told FTW Outdoors that trees were down between West Thumb and Canyon, and  toward the South Entrance.

“I was at Lake Village and it was like a hurricane,” Reeves said. “We saw several trees falling, many trees blocking the road to the north and south. Destruction everywhere. It was pretty crazy!”

The park issued a news release Wednesday (July 5), stating that hundreds of trees had fallen “throughout the area including around the Lake Hotel, Lake Lodge, Lake Medical Clinic, Lake General Store, Lake employee housing areas and Bridge Bay Campground and marina.”

Park Superintendent Cam Sholly said, “Monday night’s storm event hit the Lake area very hard. The National Park Service team and our partners quickly stabilized the situation and got recovery efforts started immediately.”

Several buildings and vehicles were struck by trees. One building adjacent to the Lake Hotel was evacuated and “remains closed for cleanup and repairs.”

Power was restored to most affected areas Tuesday. But as of Wednesday, Bridge Bay Campground and marina were still without power.

The cleanup effort is expected to last into next week.

–Images courtesy of Dave Reeves