A tight pressure gradient and strong west-northwest winds aloft produced high winds along the Interstate 80 corridor from Arlington to just west of Cheyenne. Observed gusts of 65 to 75 mph were common.
Every event with a place to put it; 20 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 pressure gradient and strong west-northwest winds aloft produced high winds along the Interstate 80 corridor from Arlington to just west of Cheyenne. Observed gusts of 65 to 75 mph were common.
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 Apr 6, 2:18 AM MST, 1 hour 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 318 AM MDT WED APR 6 2016 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 254 AM MDT WED APR 6 2016 TODAY...HEIGHTS SLOWLY RISE TODAY WHILE THE FLOW ALOFT BACKS FROM NORTH NORTHWEST TO NORTHWEST. LOW AND MID LEVEL GRADIENTS SUGGEST A WINDY DAY ESPECIALLY ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 25. THICKNESSES AND 700 MB TEMPERATURES YIELD HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 50S WEST OF I-25...AND 60S EAST OF I-25. TONIGHT...ASIDE FROM SOME PASSING MIDDLE AND HIGH CLOUDS IN NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT...QUIET NIGHT EXPECTED. LOOKS LIKE ENOUGH LOW LEVEL MIXING...WINDS...TO KEEP MINIMUM TEMPERATURES AT OR ABOVE FREEZING EAST OF I-25. THURSDAY...DRY NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT CONTINUES. PROGGED 700 MB TEMPERATURES AND THICKNESSES YIELD HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 50S AND 60S. CONTINUED BREEZY EAST OF I-25...THOUGH GRADIENTS WILL BE WEAKER THAN TODAY THUS LESS WIND. THURSDAY NIGHT...ALTHOUGH THE AIRMASS IS MODERATING...MINIMUM TEMPERATURES LIKELY A FEW DEGREES COOLER THAN WEDNESDAY NIGHT DUE TO SLIGHTLY LESS WIND. FRIDAY...RIDGE ALOFT WILL CONTINUE THE DRY AND MILD WEATHER. LOW LEVEL WINDS TURN SOUTHEAST. CONTINUED MILD WITH 700 MB TEMPERATURES AND THICKNESSES YIELDING MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S TO NEAR 70 DEGREES. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 254 AM MDT WED APR 6 2016 THE LONG TERM FORECAST PERIOD WILL START OFF WITH A BUILDING RIDGE. THIS WILL LEAD TO NOT ONLY DRY CONDITIONS FOR THE START OF THE WEEKEND BUT ALSO WARM TEMPERATURES. SATURDAY MAY BE THE WARMEST DAY SO FAR THIS YEAR ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. HIGHS SATURDAY WILL LIKELY BE IN THE 70S ACROSS THE PLAINS WITH 60S OVER WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION TO INCREASE SUNDAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE SLIDES INTO COLORADO. TEMPERATURES SUNDAY WILL DEPEND ON TIMING AND LOCATION OF UPPER LEVEL ENERGY BUT BASED ON THE LATEST GFS...SUNDAY MAY END UP WARMER THAT SATURDAY. SUNDAYS SYSTEM LOOKS TO BE WARM ENOUGH SUCH THAT THE MAIN PRECIPITATION TYPE WOULD BE RAIN OUTSIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS. BY SUNDAY NIGHT COULD SEE SOME SNOW SPREAD INTO THE PLAINS BUT AT THIS EXPECTING LITTLE IN THE WAY OF ACCUMULATIONS...IF ANY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1209 AM MDT WED APR 6 2016 VFR ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. BREEZY TO WINDY THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. && .FIRE WEATHER... ISSUED AT 254 AM MDT WED APR 6 2016 MINIMAL CONCERNS BASED ON PROJECTED HUMIDITIES AND WINDS. && .CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WY...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...RUBIN LONG TERM...SML AVIATION...SML FIRE WEATHER...RUBIN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 1016 PM MDT TUE APR 5 2016 WYZ101>119-070415- 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- 1016 PM MDT TUE APR 5 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL WYOMING...SOUTH CENTRAL WYOMING AND SOUTHEAST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. NEZ002-003-019>021-054-055-095-096-070415- DAWES-BOX BUTTE-SCOTTS BLUFF-BANNER-MORRILL-KIMBALL-CHEYENNE- NORTH SIOUX-SOUTH SIOUX- 1016 PM MDT TUE APR 5 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF PANHANDLE NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
20 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The WYDOT sensor at Halleck Ridge measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 59 mph at 06/0450 MST.
The UPR sensor at Dale Creek measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 70 mph at 06/0925 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Strouss Hill measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 67 mph at 06/0610 MST.
The UPR sensor at Lynch measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 64 mph at 06/0515 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Cooper Cove measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 66 mph at 06/0745 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Emkay measured wind gusts of 58 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 77 mph at 06/0745 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Otto Road measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 72 mph at 06/0740 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Wagonhound measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 58 mph at 06/0700 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Buford East measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 65 mph at 06/0635 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Pumpkin Vine measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 62 mph at 06/0700 MST.
The UPR sensor at Buford measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 68 mph at 06/0800 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Arlington measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 65 mph at 06/0740 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Foote Creek measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 59 mph at 06/0830 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Vedauwoo measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher.
The WYDOT sensor at Whitaker measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 63 mph at 06/1305 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Lone Tree measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 62 mph at 06/1050 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Interstate 80 mile post 353 measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 63 mph at 06/0850 MST.
The UPR sensor at Rock River measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 66 mph at 06/1515 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Arlington measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 62 mph at 06/1515 MST.
The WYDOT sensor at Cooper Cove measured sustained winds of 40 mph or higher, with a peak gust of 62 mph at 06/1705 MST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, April 2016
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: 633180, 633186, 633181, 633188, 633177, 633191, 633193, 633182, 633184, 633189, 633185, 633175, 633179, 633190, 633195, 633187, 633192, 633183, 633176, 633178.