A large surface pressure gradient produced strong westerly winds across portions of southeast Wyoming.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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 large surface pressure gradient produced strong westerly winds across portions 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 Jan 21, 10:24 PM MST, 2 hours 56 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 1024 PM MST MON JAN 21 2013 .AVIATION...06Z TAFS VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED. NEED TO WATCH WHAT THAT FRONT DOES IN WESTERN NEBRASKA THOUGH. THERE ARE LOW CEILINGS JUST EAST OF ALLIANCE. ANY LITTLE SURGE ALONG THE FRONT FROM THE NORTHWEST COULD BRING LOWER CEILINGS INTO KCDR AND KAIA. FOR NOW...CONFIDENCE IS HIGH ENOUGH TO KEEP LOW CEILINGS OUT OF BOTH AIRPORTS. WINDS TO BECOME PRETTY GUSTY DURING THE DAY TUESDAY FOR OUR SOUTHEAST WYOMING AIRPORTS FROM THE SOUTHWEST. CLAYCOMB && PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 246 PM MST MON JAN 21 2013/ SHORT TERM...THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT... THE WATER VAPOR IMAGERY LOOP DEPICTED A HIGHLY AMPLIFIED UPPER LEVEL PATTERN...WITH A RIDGE PARKED OVER THE PACIFIC COAST STATES AND A TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CONUS. BETWEEN THESE FEATURES WAS A FAST NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT FROM MONTANA SOUTHEAST INTO THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS STATES...WHICH CARRIED MOST OF THE MID/UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE. THE EARLY AFTERNOON REGIONAL SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACED A STATIONARY BOUNDARY FROM WESTERN MONTANA SOUTHEAST ALONG THE WIND RIVER AND LARAMIE RANGES INTO NORTHEAST COLORADO. THIS BOUNDARY SEPARATED MILDER TEMPERATURES AND GUSTY WESTERLY WINDS TO THE WEST FROM COOLER TEMPERATURES AND LIGHT SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS TO THE EAST. THE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE FRONT AND A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WAS TIGHT ENOUGH TO GENERATE SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 55 MPH FOR THE WIND CORRIDORS ALONG AND WEST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE. THESE WINDS MAY DECREASE SLIGHTLY LATER THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE INCREASING TONIGHT. THE PRIMARY CONCERN WITH THE SHORT TERM WILL BE THE STRONG WINDS AND POTENTIAL HIGHLIGHTS. THE 12Z NAM/SREF MODELS AGREE THAT THE WESTERN CONUS UPPER RIDGE WILL BEGIN TO ADVANCE EAST LATER TONIGHT AND TUESDAY THROUGH THE GREAT BASIN...THEN DEAMPLIFY AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND FRONT RANGE WEDNESDAY. A POTENT UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE QUICKLY EAST FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONTANA AND WYOMING BY THURSDAY MORNING. THE STALLED FRONT ALONG THE LARAMIE RANGE INTO NORTHEAST COLORADO WILL GRADUALLY SLIDE EAST AS A WARM FRONT INTO THE HIGH PLAINS TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. 700-850 MB GRADIENTS ARE PROGGED TO INCREASE TO 55-60M THROUGH THE WIND CORRIDORS OF SOUTHEAST WYOMING LATER THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. 700MB WINDS DURING THIS TIME PERIOD WILL INCREASE TO 55 KT. THIS WILL BE A MARGINAL HIGH WIND EVENT FOR THE ARLINGTON...VEDAUWOO AND BORDEAUX AREAS AS CROSS SECTIONS INDICATE AN ELEVATED STABLE LAYER BETWEEN 06Z AND 12Z TUESDAY. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED. THE GRADIENT WEAKENS TUESDAY AFTERNOON...THEN INCREASES ONCE AGAIN LATE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY WHEN WIND HIGHLIGHTS MAY BE REQUIRED. BESIDES THE GUSTY WINDS...DRY CONDITIONS AND MILDER TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST AS 700MB TEMPERATURES RISE FROM -1C TUESDAY TO 5C WEDNESDAY. IT LOOKS LIKE THE VALLEYS OUT WEST THAT HAVE BEEN SHIVERING WILL FINALLY MODERATE AS THE COLD AIRMASS IS FINALLY DISLODGED. DOWNSLOPE WINDS WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL WARMING BOTH DAYS. HIGHS TUESDAY WILL RANGE FROM THE 30S WEST TO THE 40S AND 50S EAST. WEDNESDAY WILL BE THE MILDEST DAY OF THE WEEK WITH 40S AND 50S. SOME LOCATIONS IN SOUTHEAST WYOMING AND SOUTHERN PANHANDLE MAY MEET TO EXCEED 60 DEGREES. LOWS TONIGHT WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER SINGLE DIGITS NORTHEAST PANHANDLE AND WEST VALLEYS TO THE TEENS AND 20S ELSEWHERE. TEENS AND 20S ARE PROGGED FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...WITH LOWER TO MID 30S FOR A FEW LOCATIONS ON THE PLAINS. LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY... 21/12Z GFS AND 21/12Z ECMWF IN AGREEMENT SYNOPTICALLY THROUGH THURSDAY...THEN BEGIN TO DIVERGE. ON FRIDAY...THE ECMWF IS MORE PRONOUNCED AND AMPLIFIED WITH THE SHORTWAVE RIDGE AT 500 MB OVER THE ROCKIES THAN IS THE GFS. ON SATURDAY...THE GFS AND ECMWF BOTH SHOW WEAK SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT ACROSS WYOMING WITH THE NEXT TROUGH ALOFT ASHORE OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ON THE GFS AND STILL OFF THE COAST ON THE ECMWF. FOR SUNDAY...THE GFS MOVES THE MID LEVEL TROUGH AXIS TO THE GREAT BASIN STATES WHILE THE ECMWF MAINTAINS THE TROUGH ALONG THE WEST COAST AND SHOWS AN AMPLIFIED RIDGE ALOFT ACROSS THE ROCKIES. THE MAIN MODEL DIFFERENCE ON MONDAY IS THE SPLIT PATTERN TROUGH ON THE ECMWF WITH A NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE OVER NORTH DAKOTA AND A CUTOFF LOW DEPICTED OFF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST. IN CONTRAST...THE GFS SHOWS A POSITIVELY TILTED TROUGH AXIS FROM NORTH DAKOTA THROUGH EASTERN WYOMING ON MONDAY. THURSDAY...CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT FROM THE DAKOTAS VORTEX ALOFT WILL PRODUCE SCATTERED TO BROKEN CLOUDINESS...ALONG WITH BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS DUE TO DEEP UNIDIRECTIONAL FLOW AND PROGGED SURFACE THROUGH 700 MB GRADIENTS. MAY SEE SOME FLURRIES IN THE CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT...THOUGH NOT CONFIDENT ENOUGH IN THIS NOW TO INCLUDE EVEN LOW POPS. FRIDAY...NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT PREVAILS WITH MORE AMPLIFIED RIDGING ALOFT NOTED ON THE ECMWF VERSUS THE GFS. IN EITHER EVENT...THIS DAY WILL BE MILD AND DRY DUE TO LIMITED LOW AND MID LEVEL MOISTURE. SATURDAY...RIDGING ALOFT TRANSLATES INTO THE PLAINS STATES WITH SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER OUR COUNTIES AND A LOW AMPLITUDE SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING ACROSS OUR COUNTIES PRODUCING SCATTERED TO BROKEN CLOUDS. LOW AND MID LEVELS LOOK TOO DRY TO SUPPORT PRECIPITATION. SUNDAY...STARK CONTRAST AS THE GFS SHOWS AN APPROACHING SHORTWAVE TROUGH WHILE THE ECMWF PROJECTS RIDING ALOFT. WITH CONSIDERABLE FORECAST UNCERTAINTY...WILL SIDE WITH OUR SURROUNDING OFFICES AND PAINT ISOLATED SHOWERS ACROSS OUR SNOWY AND SIERRA MADRE RANGES...AND DRY ELSEWHERE. MONDAY...LOOKS LIKE A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE ON EITHER MODEL WITH AT LEAST A CHANCE OF SNOW OVER CARBON COUNTY AND A FEW SHOWERS OVER OUR NORTHERN NEBRASKA COUNTIES. TEMPERATURES MAY BE QUITE MILD AS DEPICTED BY THE ECMWF...OR COOLER VIA THE GFS. FOR NOW...WILL BLEND WITH OUR NEIGHBORS WITH TEMPERATURES CLOSER TO THE COOLER GFS. && FIRE WEATHER... MILD AND DRY WEATHER WILL AFFECT THE DISTRICT THROUGH WEDNESDAY AS A UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE MOVES SLOWLY EAST ACROSS THE ROCKIES AND HIGH PLAINS. A SURFACE TROUGH OVER EASTERN WYOMING TONIGHT WILL DRIFT EAST INTO THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE WELL ABOVE NORMAL OVER THE ENTIRE DISTRICT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES TUESDAY WILL RANGE FROM 15 TO 25 PERCENT FOR LOWER ELEVATIONS...WITH LOWER AND MORE WIDESPREAD HUMIDITY VALUES WEDNESDAY OVER SOUTHEAST WYOMING EAST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE. WESTERLY SURFACE WINDS WILL GUST AS HIGH AS 50 MPH THIS AFTERNOON FOR AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE. THESE WINDS WILL BECOME STRONGER TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING. GUSTY WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THURSDAY...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS WILL BE ELEVATED OVER THE SOUTHEAST WYOMING PLAINS TUESDAY...SPREADING INTO THE SOUTHWEST PANHANDLE WEDNESDAY. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT WILL BRING COOLER TEMPERATURES TO THE DISTRICT THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...AS WELL AS THE POSSIBILITY FOR LIGHT SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. && .CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WY...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 8 AM TUESDAY FOR WYZ106-WYZ110-WYZ116. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM/FIRE WEATHER...JAMSKI LONG TERM/AVIATION...RUBIN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 1051 AM MST MON JAN 21 2013 WYZ101>119-221800- 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- 1051 AM MST MON JAN 21 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL WYOMING... SOUTH CENTRAL WYOMING AND SOUTHEAST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT STRONG WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN THE WIND CORRIDOR ALONG AND WEST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE THROUGH TONIGHT. THIS AREA INCLUDES THE INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR NEAR ARLINGTON AND VEDAUWOO... AS WELL AS THE INTERSTATE 25 NEAR BORDEAUX. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH ARE LIKELY IN THIS AREA. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM TONIGHT THROUGH 8 AM TUESDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY STRONG WINDS WILL RETURN TO SOUTHEAST WYOMING WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES AND MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. WESTERLY WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 65 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THIS TIME...ESPECIALLY IN THE WIND PRONE AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE. FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS WILL BE ELEVATED OVER THE PARTS OF THE DISTRICT TUESDAY AND ESPECIALLY WEDNESDAY DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF THE MILD...DRY AND WINDY WEATHER. THE PRIMARY AREA WILL BE THE SOUTHEAST WYOMING PLAINS EAST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE. .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>021-054-055-095-096-221800- DAWES-BOX BUTTE-SCOTTS BLUFF-BANNER-MORRILL-KIMBALL-CHEYENNE- NORTH SIOUX-SOUTH SIOUX- 1051 AM MST MON JAN 21 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED THURSDAY FOLLOWING THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT. .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 JAMSKI
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
1255 AM MST TUE JAN 22 2013
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1226 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 14 NNE CENTENNIAL 41.50N 106.05W
01/22/2013 M58 MPH ALBANY WY MESONET
REPORTED AT WYDOT STATION WY25
&&
IRIS SYSTEMThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The WYDOT sensor at Wagonhound measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher.
The WYDOT sensor at Bordeaux measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher.
The WYDOT sensor at Cooper Cove measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 63 mph at 22/0340 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Halleck Ridge measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher.
The WYDOT sensor at Strouss Hill measured gusts of 58 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 65 mph at 22/0331 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Arlington East measured wind gusts of 58 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 62 mph at 22/0326 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Arlington measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 61 mph at 22/0321 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Vedauwoo measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher.
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, January 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: 420985, 420976, 420982, 420983, 420984, 420979, 420981, 420986.