High Wind, Wind River Mountains West
- When
- January 20, 8:00 AM MST to January 21, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- Wind River Mountains West forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
- Coordinates
- 42.904, -109.273 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Wyoming, January 20 to 21, 1996
Winds were sustained between 40 and 50 MPH from Jeffrey City and Casper, southeast to just east of the Laramie Range. Wind gusts were between 55 and 65 MPH, with the strongest gust being 71 MPH, 10 miles south of Wheatland between 553 PM and 709 PM.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 13
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS CYS wrote it up.
Winds were sustained between 40 and 50 MPH from Jeffrey City and Casper, southeast to just east of the Laramie Range. Wind gusts were between 55 and 65 MPH, with the strongest gust being 71 MPH, 10 miles south of Wheatland between 553 PM and 709 PM. Highway 191, south of Rock Springs was closed due to blowing snow from 1100 PM to 600 AM.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
13 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Wind River Mountains East
- When
- January 20, 8:00 AM MST to January 21, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- Wind River Mountains East forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
- Coordinates
- 42.904, -109.273 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Casper Mountain
- When
- January 20, 8:00 AM MST to January 21, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- Casper Mountain forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
- Coordinates
- 42.962, -106.798 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Star Valley
- When
- January 20, 8:00 AM MST to January 21, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- Star Valley forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
- Coordinates
- 42.264, -110.656 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Salt River & Wyoming Ranges
- When
- January 20, 8:00 AM MST to January 21, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- Salt River & Wyoming Ranges forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
- Coordinates
- 42.516, -110.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Upper Green River Basin Foothills
- When
- January 20, 8:00 AM MST to January 21, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- Upper Green River Basin Foothills forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
- Coordinates
- 42.767, -109.915 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Southwest Carbon
- When
- January 20, 8:00 AM MST to January 21, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- Southwest Carbon forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
High Wind, North Carbon
- When
- January 20, 8:00 AM MST to January 21, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- North Carbon forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
High Wind, Snowy Range
- When
- January 20, 8:00 AM MST to January 21, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- Snowy Range forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
High Wind, North Laramie Range
- When
- January 20, 8:00 AM MST to January 21, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- North Laramie Range forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
High Wind, Laramie Valley
- When
- January 20, 8:00 AM MST to January 21, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- Laramie Valley forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
High Wind, Laramie Range
- When
- January 20, 8:00 AM MST to January 21, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- Laramie Range forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
High Wind, Platte
- When
- January 20, 8:00 AM MST to January 21, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- Platte forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flood in District of Columbia, January 20 to 23, 1996
- Flooding in Ohio, January 20 to 22, 1996
- Flooding in West Virginia, January 20 to 22, 1996
- Flooding in Kentucky, January 20 to 23, 1996
- Flood in Maryland, January 20 to 22, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Washington, January 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 20 to 21, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, January 20 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, January 20 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in Oregon, January 20 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in Colorado, January 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, January 20 to 21, 1996
More
Every storm in Wyoming in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, January 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5536544, 5536545, 5536546, 5536547, 5536548, 5536549, 5536550, 5536551, 5536552, 5536553, 5536554, 5536555, 5536556.