Wyoming, 2020

High Wind in Wyoming, October 23 to 24, 2020

October 23 to 24, 2020 · NWS CYS · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Tight pressure gradients ahead of a deepening low pressure system and subsequent snowfall aided in the production of high winds across southeastern Wyoming, particularly the Interstate 80 corridor from Rawlins east to Buford, west of Cheyenne. Union Pacific Railroad sensor EMKAYW measured a peak wind gust of 72 mph.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS CYS wrote it up.

Tight pressure gradients ahead of a deepening low pressure system and subsequent snowfall aided in the production of high winds across southeastern Wyoming, particularly the Interstate 80 corridor from Rawlins east to Buford, west of Cheyenne. Union Pacific Railroad sensor EMKAYW measured a peak wind gust of 72 mph. Several Wyoming Department of Transportation sensors along both Interstate 80 and 25 had measured wind gusts greater than 60 mph.

What forecasters said that day

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 Oct 23, 4:49 PM MST, 4 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 23, 4:49 PM MST, 4 hours 19 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 23, 2:26 PM MST, 6 hours 42 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Cheyenne WY
326 PM MDT Fri Oct 23 2020

NEZ002-003-019>021-054-055-095-096-WYZ101>109-111>115-117>119-
241230-
Dawes-Box Butte-Scotts Bluff County-Banner County-Morrill-
Kimball County-Cheyenne-North Sioux-South Sioux-
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-
Southwest Carbon County-Sierra Madre Range-
Upper North Platte River Basin-Snowy Range-Laramie Valley-
South Laramie Range Foothills-Central Laramie County-
East Laramie County-
326 PM MDT Fri Oct 23 2020

This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of panhandle
Nebraska...western Nebraska...east central Wyoming...south
central Wyoming and southeast Wyoming.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

A winter storm will bring widespread snow and bitter cold to much
of southeast Wyoming and the western Nebraska Panhandle from
Saturday night through Monday.

.Spotter information statement...

Spotter activation will not be needed.

WYZ110-116-241230-
North Snowy Range Foothills-South Laramie Range-
326 PM MDT Fri Oct 23 2020

This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of south central
Wyoming and southeast Wyoming.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

Strong winds will develop along Interstate 80 near Arlington and Elk
Mountain this evening, and persist through Saturday. Please refer to
High Wind Warning products for more details.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

Strong winds are expected to spread into the Interstate 80 Summit
between Laramie and Cheyenne on Saturday.

A winter storm system will bring widespread snow and bitter cold to
the area Saturday night through Sunday night.

.Spotter information statement...

Spotter activation will not be needed.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, North Snowy Range Foothills

When
October 23, 9:08 PM MST to October 24, 2:54 PM MST
Where
North Snowy Range Foothills forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
41.675, -106.327 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) sensor at Arlington along Interstate 80 measured the reported wind gust. Several other WYDOT sensors along Interstate 80 also measured high winds into the middle 60 mph range.

High Wind, Laramie Valley

When
October 24, 12:30 AM MST to 9:55 AM MST
Where
Laramie Valley forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
41.655, -105.724 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wyoming Department of Transportation sensor at Herrick Lane or thirteen miles west-northwest of Laramie along Interstate 80 measured the reported wind gust. A Union Pacific Railroad sensor located a mile south of Rock River also measured a wind gust of 59 mph.

High Wind, South Laramie Range

When
October 24, 2:52 AM MST to 4:32 AM MST
Where
South Laramie Range forecast zone
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
41.481, -105.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP) sensor FW6652 located five miles northeast of Vedauwoo measured the reported wind gust. Two Wyoming Department of Transportation sensors at Lone Tree along Interstate 80 two miles west of Buford and Wildcat Trail along Wyoming Highway 210 seven miles northeast of Buford measured high sustained winds above 40 mph and gusts up to 60 mph respectively.

High Wind, Central Laramie Range and Southwest Platte County

When
October 24, 9:10 AM MST to 9:18 AM MST
Where
Central Laramie Range and Southwest Platte County forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
41.698, -105.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wyoming Department of Transportation sensor at Bordeaux or nine miles south of Wheatland along Interstate 25 measured the reported wind gust.

High Wind, Central Carbon County

When
October 24, 11:31 AM MST
Where
Central Carbon County forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
41.695, -106.931 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Rawlins Airport sensor measured the peak wind gust.

High Wind, South Laramie Range Foothills

When
October 24, 11:56 AM MST to 1:14 PM MST
Where
South Laramie Range Foothills forecast zone
Measured
63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
41.481, -105.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Union Pacific Railroad sensor EMKAYW located fourteen miles west-southwest of Cheyenne measured the reported wind gust. A Wyoming Department of Transportation sensor at Otto or sixteen miles west-southwest of Cheyenne along Interstate 80 also measured one hour plus sustained winds of 40 mph.

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Wyoming in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, October 2020

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 920092, 920093, 920094, 920090, 920091, 920095.