A tight surface pressure gradient combined with strong winds aloft to produce gusty west to southwest surface winds up to 65 mph through the wind corridors of southeast Wyoming.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS CYS wrote it up.
A tight surface pressure gradient combined with strong winds aloft to produce gusty west to southwest surface winds up to 65 mph through the wind corridors of southeast Wyoming.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Cheyenne, WY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 5, 11:31 AM MST, 2 hours 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 1131 AM MST MON MAR 5 2012 .UPDATE... .AVIATION...18Z TAF ISSUANCE...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH ONLY SOME HIGH CLOUDS MOVING IN FROM THE NORTH TONIGHT. BREEZY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...WITH GUSTS GENERALLY 30 TO 40 KTS AT THE WYOMING TERMINALS...AND 20 TO 30 KTS ACROSS NEBRASKA. THESE BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL SUBSIDE SOME THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...WITH WINDS INCREASING AGAIN THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS ESPECIALLY NEAR KRWL. RJM && PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 404 AM MST MON MAR 5 2012/ SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT WESTERLY MIDLEVEL FLOW IS CURRENTLY OVER SOUTHEAST WY AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. THE FLOW WILL TURN MORE SOUTHWESTERLY STARTING MONDAY NIGHT IN ADVANCE OF AN AMPLIFYING TROUGH IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. TEMPERATURES ON MONDAY WILL BE ABOVE NORMAL...ESPECIALLY FOR AREAS EAST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE WHERE MODERATE DOWNSLOPE WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH 700MB TEMPS AROUND 2C. THE GFS PROGS A 996MB SFC LOW TO DEVELOP OVER EASTERN MT BY 06Z TUES WHICH WILL INCREASE THE NW-SE ORIENTED SFC PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE AREA. IN ADDITION...700MB WSW WINDS INCREASE TO AROUND 55 KTS JUST TO THE WEST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE BY 12Z TUES. THE STRENGTHENING SOUTHWESTERLY LLVL FLOW WILL LIKELY COMBINE WITH THE TERRAIN GAPS IN THE ARLINGTON AREA TO PRODUCE WINDS AROUND HIGH WIND CRITERIA STARTING MONDAY AFTERNOON AND LASTING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. ISSUED A HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE ARLINGTON ARA BASED ON THE ABOVE FACTORS. OVERALL LOOKS LIKE A MARGINAL EVENT WITH THE LLVL HEIGHT GRADIENTS AND 700MB WINDS NOT AT THE EXTREME LEVEL THAT WE HAVE SEEN IN SOME OF THE MORE WIDESPREAD HIGH WIND EVENTS THIS WINTER. THE SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION OF THE 700MB WINDS ARE NOT AS FAVORABLE FOR HIGH WINDS IN THE SOUTH LARAMIE RANGE SO DECIDED NOT TO INCLUDE THAT ZONE IN THE WARNING. THE SHORT RANGE MODELS SHOW THE TROUGH CONTINUING TO DIG SOUTHWARD INTO THE WESTERN US ON TUESDAY. THE 700MB CAG-CPR GRADIENT DECREASING TO AROUND 40M BY 18Z TUES...SO SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS SHOULD BEGIN TO COME DOWN AT THAT TIME. TEMPS WILL ONCE AGAIN BE WELL ABOVE NORMAL ON TUES IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT OVER NORTHWEST WY. THE WARM WEATHER WILL QUICKLY COME TO AN END TUES NIGHT WITH THE FROPA. THE MODELS OVER THE LAST DAY HAVE TRENDED TOWARD A CUTOFF LOW DEVELOPING OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN US ON WED. THIS MEANS THAT MOST OF THE MID AND UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS WILL BE WELL SOUTH AND WEST OF SOUTHEAST WY. EXPECTING LIGHT SNOW...GENERALLY LESS THAN A FEW INCHES WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE CWA...WITH THE ONLY REAL FORCING MECHANISM BEING THE LLVL FRONT. LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY... MEDIUM RANGE MODEL OUTPUT OVER THE PAST DAY HAS AND CONTINUES TO STRUGGLE MIGHTILY WITH HOW THE CLOSED LOW IS ABSORBED INTO THE MEAN FLOW LATE THIS WEEK. THE 05/00Z OPERATIONAL GFS WAS BY FAR THE PROGRESSIVE OUTLIER OF ALL MODEL OUTPUT AND AS RECOMMENDED BY HPC WAS DISCOUNTED FOR THIS FORECAST. EVEN THOUGH DIFFERENCES EXIST IN THE 05/00Z ECMWF/GEM/GFES OUTPUT...THEY OFFER A MUCH MORE REASONABLE SOLUTION GIVEN HOW THESE STACKED SYSTEMS TEND TO BE SLOW TO FILL. ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...THE CLOSED UPPER LOW WILL WOBBLE AND REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY JUST SOUTH OF THE FOUR CORNERS. THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE FRONT AND ANY ASSOCIATED LLVL FORCING WILL BE WELL SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA BY THIS TIME. SO ANTICIPATE DRY CONDITIONS WILL HIGH TEMPERATURES THAT WILL MODERATE BACK INTO THE 30S WEST/40S EAST ON THURSDAY AND 40S WEST/50S EAST ON FRIDAY. SIMILAR TO ITS EARLIER 04/12Z OUTPUT...THE 05/00Z ECMWF IS THE QUICKEST WITH MOISTURE RETURN AND RESULTANT INCREASING CLOUDS OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST WYOMING AND THE SOUTHERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE LATE FRIDAY. THE 05/00Z GEM/UKMET ARE FURTHER WEST AND SLOWER IN OPENING THE GULF ON FRIDAY. SO...FOR NOW HAVE JUST TRENDED SKY COVER UP SLIGHTLY LATE FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT AND INTRODUCED A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW ACROSS THE SOUTHERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE. ALTHOUGH THE PRECISE LOCATION OF THE LOW IS DEFINITELY IN QUESTION BY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...IT SHOULD BE LIFTING OUT AND FILLING SOMEWHERE OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS. STILL EXPECT CONDITIONS TO REMAIN DRY AND MILD ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. MODELS HINT AT SHORTWAVE RIDGING BUILDING IN ON MONDAY BEHIND THE DEPARTING LOW. SO ON MONDAY HAVE CONTINUED WITH DRY FORECAST AND KEPT TEMPERATURES PERSISTENT WITH THE WEEKEND. FIRE WEATHER... DRY...WARM AND BREEZY CONDITIONS ARE IN STORE FOR EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE DISTRICT TODAY AND TUESDAY. ALTHOUGH FUELS ARE STILL NOT CRITICAL IN THESE AREAS...FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS WILL BE HEIGHTENED ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHEAST WYOMING AND THE SOUTHERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE TODAY AND TUESDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL CLIMB INTO THE 40S WEST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE AND UPPER 50S AND 60S EAST. THESE WARM TEMPERATURES WILL COMBINE WITH THE DRY AIR MASS TO DECREASE MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES INTO THE TEENS ALONG THE INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR FROM CHEYENNE TO SIDNEY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE A FEW DEGREES WARMER ON TUESDAY RESULTING IN RELATIVE HUMIDITIES THAT WILL APPROACH 15 PERCENT ACROSS THIS SAME AREA. THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL BRING COOLER TEMPERATURES AND A PERIOD OF LIGHT SNOW FOR TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. && .CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WY...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 8 AM TUESDAY FOR WYZ110. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...FINCH LONG TERM/FIRE WEATHER...HAHN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 951 AM MST MON MAR 5 2012 WYZ101>119-061200- CONVERSE COUNTY LOWER ELEVATIONS-NIOBRARA COUNTY- NORTH LARAMIE RANGE-FERRIS/SEMINOE/SHIRLEY MOUNTAINS- SHIRLEY BASIN-CENTRAL LARAMIE RANGE AND SOUTHWEST PLATTE COUNTY- EAST PLATTE COUNTY-GOSHEN COUNTY-CENTRAL CARBON COUNTY- NORTH SNOWY RANGE FOOTHILLS-SOUTHWEST CARBON COUNTY- SIERRA MADRE RANGE-UPPER NORTH PLATTE RIVER BASIN-SNOWY RANGE- LARAMIE VALLEY-SOUTH LARAMIE RANGE-SOUTH LARAMIE RANGE FOOTHILLS- CENTRAL LARAMIE COUNTY-EAST LARAMIE COUNTY- 951 AM MST MON MAR 5 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL WYOMING... SOUTH CENTRAL WYOMING AND SOUTHEAST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON OVER MOST OF SOUTHEAST WYOMING. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE OVER THE ARLINGTON AREA...WHERE SUSTAINED WINDS 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH ARE EXPECTED. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT STARTING THIS AFTERNOON FOR THIS AREA. BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR ELSEWHERE. FIRE DANGER WILL BE ELEVATED TODAY FOR AREA EAST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE ACROSS SOUTHEAST WYOMING. BREEZY CONDITIONS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE TO PRODUCE THE POTENTIAL OR RAPID SPREAD OF FIRE TODAY. WINDS WILL DECREASE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL INCREASE THIS EVENING ALLOWING CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON AS THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT WEAKENS OVER SOUTHEAST WYOMING. A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH A STORM SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST WILL BRING MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES TO SOUTHEAST WYOMING ON TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. SOME LIGHT SNOW IS FORECASTED TO FALL OVER SOUTHEAST WYOMING...HOWEVER ACCUMULATIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SIGNIFICANT AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED THROUGH TONIGHT. && THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC...AND CLIMATE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHEYENNE NEZ002-003-019>021-054-055-095-096-061200- DAWES-BOX BUTTE-SCOTTS BLUFF-BANNER-MORRILL-KIMBALL-CHEYENNE- NORTH SIOUX-SOUTH SIOUX- 951 AM MST MON MAR 5 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT FIRE DANGER WILL BE ELEVATED TODAY ACROSS THE WESTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE. BREEZY CONDITIONS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE TO PRODUCE RAPID SPREAD OF FIRE THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL DECREASE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL INCREASE THIS EVENING ALLOWING CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH A STORM SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST WILL BRING MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES TO THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE ON TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. SOME LIGH SNOW IS EXPECTED TO FALL OVER THE PANHANDLE...HOWEVER ACCUMULATIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SIGNIFICANT AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED THROUGH TONIGHT. && THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC...AND CLIMATE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHEYENNE FINCH/LIEBL
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 925 AM MST MON MAR 5 2012 WYZ110-051900- NORTH SNOWY RANGE FOOTHILLS- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ARLINGTON...ELK MOUNTAIN 925 AM MST MON MAR 5 2012 WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BE SUSTAINED AT 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS GENERALLY 45 TO 55 MPH THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT STARTING AT 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON AS WINDS GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 60 MPH. STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE OVER THIS AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. THE WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ADVISES NO LIGHT TRAILER TRAFFIC ALONG INTERSTATE 80 BETWEEN WALCOTT JUNCTION AND LARAMIE DUE TO WIND SPEEDS AROUND 50 MPH. THESE WINDS MAY CAUSE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL OR A BLOW OVER TO HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES TRAVELING EMPTY OR WITH A LIGHT LOAD. DRIVERS OF SUCH VEHICLES ARE ADVISED TO DELAY TRAVEL. LIEBL
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 1202 PM MST MON MAR 5 2012 WYZ110-052100- NORTH SNOWY RANGE FOOTHILLS- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ARLINGTON...ELK MOUNTAIN 1202 PM MST MON MAR 5 2012 WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BE SUSTAINED AT 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS GENERALLY 45 TO 55 MPH THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT STARTING AT 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON AS WINDS GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 60 MPH. STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE OVER THIS AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. THE WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ADVISES NO LIGHT TRAILER TRAFFIC ALONG INTERSTATE 80 BETWEEN WALCOTT JUNCTION AND LARAMIE DUE TO WIND SPEEDS AROUND 50 MPH. THESE WINDS MAY CAUSE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL OR A BLOW OVER TO HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES TRAVELING EMPTY OR WITH A LIGHT LOAD. DRIVERS OF SUCH VEHICLES ARE ADVISED TO DELAY TRAVEL. WYZ106-052100- CENTRAL LARAMIE RANGE AND SOUTHWEST PLATTE COUNTY- INCLUDING THE CITY OF...BORDEAUX 1202 PM MST MON MAR 5 2012 WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BE SUSTAINED AT 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS GENERALLY 45 TO 55 MPH THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL REMAIN BREEZY THROUGH THE EVENING. THE WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ADVISES NO LIGHT TRAILER TRAFFIC ALONG INTERSTATE 25 BETWEEN CHEYENNE AND WHEATLAND DUE TO WIND SPEEDS AROUND 50 MPH. THESE WINDS MAY CAUSE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL OR A BLOW OVER TO HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES TRAVELING EMPTY OR WITH A LIGHT LOAD. DRIVERS OF SUCH VEHICLES ARE ADVISED TO DELAY TRAVEL. RJM
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 220 PM MST MON MAR 5 2012 WYZ106-107-060000- CENTRAL LARAMIE RANGE AND SOUTHWEST PLATTE COUNTY- EAST PLATTE COUNTY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BORDEAUX...GLENDO...WHEATLAND... CHUGWATER...GUERNSEY 220 PM MST MON MAR 5 2012 ...GUSTY WEST WINDS TO CONTINUE ALONG INTERSTATE 25... WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BE SUSTAINED AT 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 45 TO 55 MPH ALONG THE INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR...ESPECIALLY NEAR BORDEAUX AND COLEMAN SITES. THESE WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH 5 PM. THE WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ADVISES NO LIGHT TRAILER TRAFFIC ALONG INTERSTATE 25 BETWEEN CHEYENNE AND DOUGLAS DUE TO WIND SPEEDS AROUND 50 MPH. THESE WINDS MAY CAUSE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL OR A BLOW OVER TO HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES TRAVELING EMPTY OR WITH A LIGHT LOAD. DRIVERS OF SUCH VEHICLES ARE ADVISED TO DELAY TRAVEL. RJM
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The WYDOT site at Bordeaux measured sustained winds of 40 mph or greater, with a peak gust of 60 mph at 05/1455.
The WYDOT site at Cooper Cove measured sustained winds of 40 mph or greater.
The WYDOT site at Arlington measured sustained winds of 40 mph or greater, with a peak gust of 63 mph at 06/1106.
The WYDOT site at Foote Creek near Arlington measured sustained winds of 40 mph or greater, with a peak gust of 58 mph at 06/1136.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, March 2012
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: 361617, 361615, 361614, 361616.