A tight surface pressure gradient resulted in a period of strong gap winds across the Arlington and Bordeaux areas.
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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.
A tight surface pressure gradient resulted in a period of strong gap winds across the Arlington and Bordeaux areas.
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 23, 9:00 PM MST, 3 hours 56 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 900 PM MST THU JAN 23 2014 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 820 PM MST THU JAN 23 2014 PRIMARY CHALLENGE OVERNIGHT WILL BE WINDS. AS EXPECTED BY OUR DAY SHIFT FORECAST TEAM...WINDS HAVE INCREASED AT BORDEAUX IN PLATTE COUNTY WITH SUSTAINED WEST WINDS OF 35 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 48 MPH SINCE EARLY EVENING. SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE WINDS AT BORDEAUX ALONG INTERSTATE 25. LOOKING AT THE 24/00Z NAM...AS A 120 KNOT 300 MB JET APPROACHES NORTH DAKOTA BY DAWN FRIDAY...AND THE RIGHT FRONT QUADRANT OF THE JET APPROACHES WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA...CORRESPONDINGLY...THE 500...700 AND 850 MB WINDS WILL INCREASE...WITH 700 MB WINDS BY DAWN FRIDAY INCREASING AS A 50 KNOT JETLET...ORIENTED NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST MOVES OVER NORTHEAST WYOMING...WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST NEBRASKA...WHILE THE 850 MB AND SURFACE GRADIENTS INCREASE MARKEDLY. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR PLATTE COUNTY AND THE BORDEAUX AREA FOR A POSSIBLE HIGH WIND EVENT THROUGH DAWN FRIDAY...THOUGH A MITIGATING FACTOR FOR STRONG AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE DOWNWARD MOTION INDICATED BY THE 700-500 MB QUASIGEOSTROPHIC FORCING...AND THE 500-300 MB DOWNWARD MOTION QG LAYER CENTERED OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN COLORADO. MINIMUM TEMPERATURES FORECASTS HAVE BEEN TRICKY WITH THE SNOW FIELD AND LIGHT WINDS. MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO MINIMUM TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT...WITH THE EXPECTATION OF RISING TEMPERATURES LATER TONIGHT AFTER MIDNIGHT AS THE LOW LEVEL WINDS AND MIXING HELP QUICKLY ERODE AND SCOUR OUT THE LEFTOVER REMNANTS OF THE COLD AIRMASS...AS OCCURS MANY TIMES HERE IN THE WINTER. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 414 PM MST THU JAN 23 2014 VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY FROM TODAY SHOWS A WELL DEFINED DELINEATION BETWEEN AREAS OF SNOW AND NO SNOW...WHICH ESSENTIALLY BISECTS THE FORECAST AREA NW-SE. THE SNOW IS QUICKLY MELTING WITH THE SNOW LINE STEADILY MOVING WESTWARD THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES ON THE SNOWY SIDE ARE GENERALLY IN THE TEENS AND 20S TODAY...WHILE AREAS FURTHER EAST ARE GENERALLY IN THE 20S AND 30S. WESTERLY WINDS ARE BEGINNING TO INCREASE TO THE LEE OF THE LARAMIE RANGE ALONG THE INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR THIS AFTERNOON AS THE LEESIDE TROUGH DEEPENS AHEAD OF THE UPPER WAVE DIVING SOUTH ACROSS CANADA. GUSTS ARE CURRENTLY 20 TO 35 MPH ACROSS THIS AREA. FURTHER WEST...WINDS HAVE NOT QUITE RESPONDED TO THE DEEPENING TROUGH...BUT SUSPECT THEY WILL GRADUALLY PICK UP THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING. BASED OFF CURRENT TRENDS IN SFC PRESSURE FALLS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS...AND FORECAST PRESSURE FALLS BY THE SUITE OF MODELS...KEPT WINDS BELOW HIGH WIND CRITERIA IN THE WIND PRONE AREAS THROUGH TONIGHT. THE BULLSEYE OF PRESSURE FALLS WILL QUICKLY MOVE SOUTHEAST INTO THE MIDWEST TONIGHT WHICH IS NOT AN ESPECIALLY FAVORABLE POSITION FOR THE WIND PRONE AREAS TO SEE STRONG WINDS. HOWEVER...THE CAG-CPR GRADIENT APPROACHES 60 DAM OVERNIGHT AT 850 MB...SO EXPECT SUSTAINED WINDS TO BE ON THE HIGHER SIDE AVERAGING 35 TO 40 MPH MAINLY ALONG I-25 FROM BORDEAUX TO WHITAKER AND I-80 FROM THE SOUTHERN LARAMIE RANGE TO CHEYENNE. GUSTS SHOULD STAY IN THE 50 TO 55 MPH RANGE...BUT THERE IS A CHANCE FOR A BRIEF HIGHER GUST OR TWO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING IN THESE AREAS AS THE INVERSION BEGINS TO LIFT AND THE SUBSIDENCE EXIT REGION OF THE JET MOVES OVERHEAD. BUT ALL IN ALL IT SHOULD BE BRIEF AND NOT WIDESPREAD SO WILL NOT ISSUE ANY HIGHLIGHTS. MAINTAINED AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW ON FRIDAY FOR THE EXPECTED WINDY LOCATIONS THAT RECEIVED SNOW LAST NIGHT. FURTHER EAST INTO THE PANHANDLE...WEST-NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE LATE FRIDAY MORNING BEHIND A SFC TROUGH SLIDING SOUTHEAST ACROSS THIS AREA. STRONGER JET WINDS ALOFT WILL KEEP WINDS THROUGH THE COLUMN ON THE HIGH SIDE...BUT A LOOK AT THE NAM BUFR FORECAST SOUNDINGS IN THIS AREA SHOWS STRONG MIDLEVEL WAA OCCURRING AS THE UPPER RIDGE MOVE EASTWARD OVER THE FORECAST AREA. THIS WILL REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF MIXING POTENTIAL THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND SO SHOULD KEEP WINDS BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA. SOME OF THE RIDGETOPS LIKE THE PINE RIDGE AND CHEYENNE RIDGE SHOULD SEE SUSTAINED 25 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 40 MPH. SLIGHTLY LESS WIND WILL OCCUR ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE PANHANDLE. WITH THE STRONG WAA ALOFT AND MODERATE TO STRONG DOWNSLOPE WINDS IN PLACE...TEMPERATURES WILL RISE A GOOD 10 TO 20 DEGREES FOR TOMORROW. A FEW SNOW...CHANGING TO RAIN...SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE IN EXTREME NORTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA CLOSER TO THE WEAK SFC TROUGH AND WHERE MOISTURE AVAILABILITY WILL BE HIGHER. WINDY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE WIND PRONE AREAS FRIDAY NIGHT...WITH CONTINUED MILD...DRY AND BREEZY CONDITIONS PERSISTING FOR SATURDAY AS THE FORECAST AREA WILL REMAIN ON THE ANTICYCLONIC SIDE OF THE UPPER JET. HUMIDITIES WILL DROP TO THE LOW 20S ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS BOTH DAYS. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 414 PM MST THU JAN 23 2014 WINDS REMAIN ELEVATED IN THE PANHANDLE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE AREA FROM THE NORTH AND NORTHEAST. THIS FRONT IS SET TO MOVE INTO THE CHADRON AREA SUNDAY EVENING AND WILL STALL FOR A WHILE OVER THE EAST SLOPES OF THE LARAMIE RANGE ON MONDAY. WENT AHEAD AND UPPED POPS ALONG THE LARAMIE RANGE MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. THIS FRONT LOOKS VERY SIMILAR TO THE SYSTEM THAT WENT THROUGH US LAST NIGHT. HIGHEST POPS WILL BE OVER THE SOUTH LARAMIE RANGE...EVENTUALLY SPREADING SOUTHWESTWARD INTO TUESDAY. HUGE BUST POTENTIAL ON TEMPERATURES TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. BOTH THE GFS AND 12Z ECMWF RUNS ARE SHOWING VERY COLD AIR MOVING INTO THE AREA BEHIND THE FRONT. GFS 700MB/850MB TEMPERATURES FALL TO -24C/-18C OVER THE PANHANDLE TUESDAY MORNING. BC FORECASTS SEEM TO BE WAY TOO WARM ON TEMPERATURES BEHIND THIS SYSTEM. WENT AHEAD AND KNOCKED ABOUT 10 DEGREES OFF LOWS AND HIGHS TUESDAY FROM THE BC FORECAST...BUT AM PROBABLY STILL TOO WARM. LATEST MEX FORECAST FOR KAIA SHOWING A LOW OF 10 BELOW ZERO TUESDAY WHILE THE BC FORECASTS ARE SHOWING 15 DEGREES ABOVE. NEXT PRECIP EVENT LOOKS TO START OVER OUR WESTERN MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND PERSIST INTO FRIDAY. COULD BE LOOKING AT WINTER HEADLINES WITH THIS SYSTEM...PARTICULARLY IF THE ECMWF SOLUTION COMES TRUE. ITS MUCH MORE BULLISH ON QPF AND PERSISTENT WITH HOLDING OUR SNOWY AND SIERRA MADRE RANGES IN THE SNOW INTO SATURDAY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 854 PM MST THU JAN 23 2014 NEBRASKA TAFS...VFR. SCATTERED TO BROKEN CLOUDS AT OR ABOVE 10000 FEET AGL. NORTHWEST WINDS INCREASING MARKEDLY FRIDAY MORNING WITH GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 KNOTS THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON...THEN WINDS DECREASING IN THE EVENING. WYOMING TAFS...VFR. SCATTERED TO BROKEN CLOUDS AT OR ABOVE 10000 FEET AGL. TURBULENCE ALONG AND DOWNWIND OF THE MOUNTAINS. WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS INCREASING SIGNIFICANTLY AT CHEYENNE AND RAWLINS FRIDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON WITH GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 KNOTS...THEN WINDS DECREASING FRIDAY EVENING. WINDS GUSTING UP TO 25 KNOTS AT LARAMIE LATE TONIGHT AND DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS ON FRIDAY. && .FIRE WEATHER... ISSUED AT 414 PM MST THU JAN 23 2014 WINDY CONDITIONS RETURN TONIGHT AND FRIDAY BEHIND A COLD FRONT THAT MOVED THROUGH THE AREA THIS MORNING. GIVEN MOST OF SOUTHEAST WYOMING DID PICK UP SOME MEASURABLE SNOW FALL...FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS WILL BE MINIMAL. THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE DID NOT GET MUCH SNOW...SO THERE COULD BE SOME CONCERNS OUT THERE. NORTHWEST WINDS IN THE PANHANDLE FRIDAY WILL BE GUSTING TO 40 MPH...BUT AFTERNOON HUMIDITIES SHOULD STAY IN THE 20 TO LOW 30 PERCENT RANGE. && .CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WY...NONE. NE...NONE. && UPDATE...RUBIN SHORT TERM...RJM LONG TERM...CLAYCOMB AVIATION...RUBIN FIRE WEATHER...CLAYCOMB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 421 PM MST THU JAN 23 2014 WYZ101>119-242330- 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- 421 PM MST THU JAN 23 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL WYOMING... SOUTH CENTRAL WYOMING AND SOUTHEAST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 55 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT IN THE BORDEAUX AREA AND SOUTHERN LARAMIE RANGE FOOTHILLS. BLOWING SNOW MAY BECOME A CONCERN IN THESE AREAS DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF WINDS AND THE RECENT SNOWFALL...WITH VISIBILITIES REDUCED TO ONE MILE OR LESS AND SLICK ROADS POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 55 MPH WILL CONTINUE ON FRIDAY MORNING AND ON THROUGH THE AFTERNOON IN THE BORDEAUX AREA AND SOUTHERN LARAMIE RANGE FOOTHILLS. BLOWING SNOW MAY BE A CONCERN IN THE MORNING FOR THESE AREAS DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF WINDS AND THE RECENT SNOWFALL...WITH VISIBILITIES REDUCED TO ONE MILE OR LESS AND SLICK ROADS POSSIBLE. .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>021-054-055-095-096-242330- DAWES-BOX BUTTE-SCOTTS BLUFF-BANNER-MORRILL-KIMBALL-CHEYENNE- NORTH SIOUX-SOUTH SIOUX- 421 PM MST THU JAN 23 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOONS ON FRIDAY AND SUNDAY. GUSTS TO 40-45 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. .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
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 749 PM MST THU JAN 23 2014 WYZ106-240700- CENTRAL LARAMIE RANGE AND SOUTHWEST PLATTE COUNTY- INCLUDING THE CITY OF...BORDEAUX 749 PM MST THU JAN 23 2014 ...WINDS INCREASING THIS EVENING AT BORDEAUX ALONG INTERSTATE 25... WEST SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS APPROACHING 50 MPH HAVE BEEN REPORTED AT BORDEAUX...ALONG INTERSTATE 25 IN PLATTE COUNTY WYOMING EARLY THIS EVENING. BORDEAUX IS BETWEEN WHEATLAND AND CHEYENNE ALONG INTERSTATE 25. THESE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO SLOWLY INCREASE THE REST OF THE NIGHT AS A WEATHER DISTURBANCE PASSES BY IN STRONG NORTH NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING TONIGHT ALONG INTERSTATE 25...ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE DRIVING HIGH PROFILE OR LIGHT WEIGHT VEHICLES...PLEASE WATCH FOR THE STRONG WINDS AND SUDDEN WIND GUSTS NEAR BORDEAUX IN SOUTH CENTRAL PLATTE COUNTY BETWEEN WHEATLAND AND CHEYENNE. PLEASE KEEP A TWO HANDED GRIP ON YOUR STEERING WHEEL TO AVOID LOSING CONTROL OF YOUR VEHICLE WHEN DRIVING ALONG INTERSTATE 25 NEAR BORDEAUX...DUE TO THE STRONG AND SUDDEN WINDS AND WIND GUSTS. RUBIN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The WYDOT sensor at Bordeaux measured wind gusts of 58 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 63 mph at 24/0056 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Arlington measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher.
The WYDOT sensor at Bordeaux 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 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, January 2014
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: 497694, 497698, 497695.