Low pressure moving across Montana generated a brief period of gusty winds over portions of the central and southern Laramie Range and north Snowy Range foothills.
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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.
Low pressure moving across Montana generated a brief period of gusty winds over portions of the central and southern Laramie Range and north Snowy Range foothills.
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 Jan 31, 10:53 PM MST, 2 hours 58 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 1053 PM MST THU JAN 31 2013 .AVIATION...06Z ISSUANCE... BROAD AREA OF 6-9 KFT AGL CEILINGS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS FAR EASTERN WYOMING AND THE WESTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE AIRFIELDS THROUGH THE THE MORNING HOURS. KLAR AND KCYS WILL SEE HIER LEVEL CLOUD-COVER OVERNIGHT. CONDITIONS AT KLAR WILL DETERIORATE TO IFR AS THE NEXT DISTURBANCE PUSHES THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TOMORROW MORNING...WITH GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 KTS ACROSS THE EAST AND 30 TO 35 KTS AT WESTERN TERMINALS BY THE AFTERNOON. ISOLATED SNOW SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP AFTER 19Z FROM NORTH TO SOUTH ACROSS THE PLAINS...AND AFTER 16Z OUT WEST. LIKELY SEE MVFR CONDITIONS IN THESE SHOWERS IF THEY IMPACT THE TERMINALS. THE MOUNTAIN TOPS WILL REMAIN OBSCURED ACROSS THE SNOWY AND SIERRA MADRE RANGE. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 951 PM MST THU JAN 31 2013/ UPDATE... QUASISTATIONARY BOUNDARY THAT HAS MEANDERED ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS IS BEGINNING TO SHOW SIGNS OF RETREATING EAST...TAKING THE COLD AIR MASS EAST WITH IT. WINDS HAVE STRUGGLED SO FAR THIS EVENING...BUT WITH GRADIENTS STILL FORECAST TO TIGHTEN LATER TONIGHT...EXPECT THESE WINDS TO INCREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT. NOT AN IDEAL HIGH WIND EVENT AND WITH LLVL GRADIENT MAGNITUDES ON THE LOW SIDE OF CRITICAL THRESHOLDS... EXPECT SPEEDS TO BE MARGINAL. OTHERWISE...WILL SEE LIGHT SNOW CONTINUE ACROSS THE SNOWY/SIERRA MADRE AND NORTHERN LARAMIE RANGES TONIGHT. WITH FAIRLY NEUTRAL TEMPERATURE ADVECTION OVERNIGHT AND THE PRESENCE OF CLOUD-COVER SHOULD SEE TEMPERATURES REMAIN FAIRLY STEADY AND IN SOME CASES RISE SLIGHTLY THROUGH SUNRISE. HAHN PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 253 PM MST THU JAN 31 2013/ SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT FORECAST CHALLENGES DEAL WITH TEMPERATURES AND WINDS TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. CURRENTLY...FRONTAL BOUNDARY LAYING UP AGAINST THE LARAMIE RANGE THIS AFTERNOON. HAS BEEN WAFFLING BACK AND FORTH HERE AT CHEYENNE. DID HAVE NORTHEAST WINDS AROUND 11 AM THIS MORNING AS THE FRONT MOVED INTO THE AREA...NOW LOOKS LIKE THE FRONT MAY HAVE SHIFTED A LITTLE EAST AND WE ARE SEEING NORTHWESTERLY WINDS. PLAYING HAVOC ON AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES WITH 16 DEGREES BEING REPORTED AT CHADRON...LIKELY THEIR HIGH TODAY AND FOR US HERE AT CHEYENNE...WE HAVE BEEN BOUNCING BETWEEN THE UPPER 20S TO NOW 40 DEGREES AT 2 PM. ARCTIC HIGH BEHIND THE FRONT OVER WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. CURRENT TEMPERATURES IN BISMARK AT 2 PM IS 8 BELOW ZERO. OFF TO THE WEST OF THIS FRONT...SEEING ONE MORE SURGE OF MOISTURE TRACKING INTO SOUTHWEST CARBON COUNTY. FOR TONIGHT...BEGINNING TO SEE THE FRONT SHIFTING EASTWARD INTO THE PANHANDLE AS 700MB WINDS BEGIN TO INCREASE WEST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE. LATEST WRKHGT PRODUCTS SHOWING A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN 850MB CRAIG TO CASPER HEIGHT GRADIENT...CLIMBING TO 60MTRS BY 06Z. 700MB HEIGHT GRADIENT NOT ALL THAT STEEP...ACTUALLY DECREASING TO 50MTRS BY 06Z FROM 64 MTRS THIS AFTERNOON. STILL...THINK THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG WINDS ARE THERE FOR OUR WIND PRONE AREAS. LATEST GFS MSL PRESSURE CHANGE FORECAST SHOWING 6 HOUR PRESSURE RISES ON THE ORDER OF 5 MBS OUT OVER CARBON COUNTY...AT THE SAME TIME....LOOKING AT 4 MB PRESSURE FALLS OVER NORTHEASTERN WYOMING. CONFIDENCE HIGH ON HITTING WARNING WINDS AT ARLINGTON...BUT NOT QUITE SO HIGH FOR VEDAUWOO AND BORDEAUX AS WIND DIRECTION MAY BE MORE OUT OF THE NORTHWEST. GIVEN THEIR CURRENT WINDS IN THE SOUTHERN LARAMIE RANGE...35G43MPH AT VEDAUWOO...DO NOT THINK I HAD MUCH OF A CHOICE OTHER THAN TO ADD THEM IN THE WARNING. BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON...CURRENT FRONTAL BOUNDARY FORECAST TO BE WELL EAST OF THE CWA IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA. ONE MORE LITTLE SHOT OF MOISTURE IN THE NORTHWESTERLY FLOW SHOULD BRING SOME SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE. GFS ACTUALLY SHOWING QPF OVER EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA AS WELL...BUT GIVEN THE DOWNSLOPING DIRECTION OF THE WINDS...WENT AHEAD AND TRIMMED THOSE POPS OUT OF THE FORECAST FOR EXTREME SOUTHEAST WYOMING. STAY IN NORTHWESTERLY FLOW THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH SLOWLY WARMING TEMPERATURES. BY SUNDAY MORNING...700MB TEMPERATURES LOOK TO CLIMB TO -2 TO -4C. THIS SHOULD EQUATE TO UPPER 40 HIGHS EAST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE...MID 30S WEST. GIVEN THE SNOW PACK OUT WEST THOUGH...I MAY BE TOO HIGH ON TEMPERATURES FOR RAWLINS AND LARAMIE. LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...DRY NORTHWEST FLOW WILL BE OVERHEAD SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...WITH THE JET BECOMING MORE ZONAL BY MIDWEEK. A NUMBER OF WEAK SHORTWAVES WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA IN THIS FLOW PATTERN...BUT NOT MUCH MOISTURE WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE WAVES. LOOKING MOSTLY AT MODERATE WEST WINDS IN THE FAVORED WIND PRONE AREAS OF SOUTHEAST WYOMING SUNDAY THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY WITH GUSTS GENERALLY RANGING FROM 45 TO 55 MPH AT TIMES THROUGH THIS PERIOD. SFC WINDS WILL EASE AND TURN TO THE SOUTH ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA ON TUESDAY AS SFC PRESSURE FALLS OCCUR AHEAD OF A SHORTWAVE MOVING ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND PLAINS IN THE ZONAL FLOW PATTERN. THE LEESIDE SFC PRESSURE TROUGH WILL THEN DEEPEN AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE ON TUE NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...SO EXPECTING SFC WINDS TO INCREASE AND SHIFT BACK TO THE WEST ON WEDNESDAY. MODELS INDICATE MORE DEEP LAYER MOISTURE WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WAVE SO COULD SEE SOME MOUNTAIN SNOWS SHOWERS WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE WARMEST DAY OF THE PERIOD WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY AS THE LEESIDE TROUGH DEEPENS AND DOWNSLOPE WARMING OCCURS. LOOKING AT UPPER 50S TO LOW 60S ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS...WITH 40S OUT WEST. FIRE WEATHER... STRONG WINDS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP TONIGHT AND PERSIST THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. HIGH WIND WARNINGS HAVE BEEN POSTED FOR OUR WIND PRONE AREAS OF ARLINGTON...BORDEAUX AND VEDAUWOO WHERE GUSTS EXCEEDING 60 MPH ARE LIKELY. ELSEWHERE...WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH ARE LIKELY THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY. WARMER AND DRIER WEATHER FOR THE WEEKEND WITH AFTERNOON HUMIDITIES FALLING INTO THE LOW 20 PERCENT RANGE BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. && .CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WY...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 11 AM FRIDAY FOR WYZ106-WYZ110-WYZ116. NE...NONE. && UPDATE/AVIATION...HAHN SHORT TERM/FIRE WEATHER...CLAYCOMB LONG TERM/AVIATION...RJM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 1119 AM MST THU JAN 31 2013 WYZ101>119-011830- 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- 1119 AM MST THU JAN 31 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL WYOMING... SOUTH CENTRAL WYOMING AND SOUTHEAST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE FOR THE SNOWY AND SIERRA MADRE RANGES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 5 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED. WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TONIGHT FOR OUR WIND PRONE AREAS OF ARLINGTON...BORDEAUX AND VEDAUWOO. A HIGH WIND WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THESE AREAS FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 11 AM FRIDAY WHERE SUSTAINED WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 65 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. ELSEWHERE...WINDS WILL GUST TO 50 MPH OUTSIDE THE MOUNTAINS OVERNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING AREA FOR ARLINGTON...BORDEAUX AND VEDAUWOO FRIDAY WHERE WIND GUSTS TO 65 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. && THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC...AND CLIMATE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHEYENNE NEZ002-003-019>021-054-055-095-096-011830- DAWES-BOX BUTTE-SCOTTS BLUFF-BANNER-MORRILL-KIMBALL-CHEYENNE- NORTH SIOUX-SOUTH SIOUX- 1119 AM MST THU JAN 31 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. && THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC...AND CLIMATE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHEYENNE
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The WYDOT sensor at Foote Creek measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher.
The WYDOT sensor at Halleck Ridge measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher.
The WYDOT sensor at Arlington measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher.
The UPR sensor at Buford measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher.
The WYDOT sensor at Bordeaux measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher.
The UPR sensor at DALEWS measured a wind gust of 58 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, February 2013
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: 427643, 427644, 427642, 427645, 427641, 427646.