Hail and Damaging Wind in Wyoming, June 24, 2026

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Cheyenne WY
237 PM MDT Wed Jun 24 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Numerous to widespread showers and thunderstorms are expected
  to begin mid afternoon with multiple rounds possible through
  Thursday evening.

- Very large hail (up to 4 inches in diameter), strong damaging
  winds, and a few tornadoes are possible Wednesday afternoon
  and evening, though the threat is conditional upon storms
  breaking through a robust capping inversion.

- A Flash Flood Watch has been issued for the South Fork burn
  scar area due to the potential for multiple rounds of
  thunderstorms with heavy rainfall in the vicinity.

- Strong winds and heavy rainfall are the primary concerns with
  Thursday's thunderstorm activity, though large hail is still
  possible

- Warming temperatures, falling humidity, and increasing winds
  will increase fire weather concerns this weekend into early
  next week.

&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/...
Issued at 230 PM MDT Wed Jun 24 2026

We have another conditional threat for severe thunderstorms today
across the area. A moisture laden, unstable atmosphere is present
with ample vertical wind shear and strong forcing for ascent as a
shortwave trough approaches the area. However, as yesterday, we have
a stubbornly strong cap in place over most of the High Plains. The
low cloud deck has been very slow to break up this morning
especially across Laramie county and the southern Nebraska
panhandle. Mesoanalysis indicates that MLCIN is still fairly potent
over most of the area, though instability is growing over top.
MLCAPE is already 1000 to 1500 J/kg, and expected to increase up to
about 1500 to 2000 J/kg later this afternoon. Vertical wind shear is
quite substantial. 50 to 60+ knots of deep layer is certainly
sufficient to support strong to severe thunderstorms. That being
said, all of this depends on a storm managing to break through the
robust capping inversion. This failed to occur yesterday, but
synoptic forcing for ascent is a bit stronger today thanks to
stronger overrunning lift and vorticity advection aloft overtop the
stalled frontal boundary. So, overall, we have a fairly conditional
but still substantial severe threat today. If forcing is enough to
get a storm through the cap, it will have the potential to become
quite severe with very large hail, frequent lightning, heavy
rainfall, strong winds, and a few tornadoes possible. Locally,
this looks most likely to happen in Converse, Platte, and
Niobrara counties here in the next few hours.

In addition to the typical severe threats, the very high
moisture content approaching climatological maximums combined
with the potential for multiple rounds of storms will support
the potential for localized flash flooding concerns. Confidence
is not high enough in widespread flash flooding concerns to
issue an area wide Flash Flood Watch. However, it will only take
one storm moving directly over the South Fork burn scar to
cause significant problems there due to the heightened
sensitivity in that area. Thus, a Burn Scar Flash Flood Watch
was issued for the area beginning this afternoon and continuing
through Thursday evening. There is about a 70% chance for
thunderstorms occurring over the burn scar, and perhaps a 50%
chance for this potential storm to be producing rainfall rates
sufficiently high to lead to debris flow.

Strong isentropic ascent continues through the overnight hours with
500 to 1500 J/kg elevated MUCAPE continuing. As a result, most of
the area maintains PoPs through the night and into Thursday morning.
The threat for extremely large hail will decrease after about
midnight, but an isolated embedded storm may still produce strong
winds and/or severe hail. Continued upslope flow in the lower levels
overnight will support the development of another round of morning
fog and low clouds.

Thursday will continue the stormy weather pattern. While
temperatures will be cooler across the area and low clouds will
still be present in the morning, capping looks like less of a
concern on Thursday. This will be due to the decrease in
temperatures around 700-mb anticipated over the next 24 hours, which
will decrease the magnitude of the warm air inversion aloft. On the
flip side, lapse rates and instability look lower weaker tomorrow
compared to today. After a morning to early afternoon round of
showers with embedded thunderstorms, we will need to watch for
another late afternoon and evening round of stronger thunderstorms
organized along surface frontal boundary trailing south of a
shortwave trough passing to our north. It continues to appear likely
that this will help storms organize into a linear feature riding on
the leading edge of a strong surface cold pool. The shallower lapse
rates and linear forcing suggest a decreased hail risk on Thursday,
but perhaps an increased risk for strong thunderstorm winds. High
resolution models struggle to handle this mesoscale cold front upon
reaching the surface high entrenched over the High Plains. Falling
surface pressure over western Wyoming, eastern Idaho, and northern
Utah will increase southerly flow Thursday night, leading to good
moisture return and another round of low clouds or fog into Friday
morning.

&&

.LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
Issued at 230 PM MDT Wed Jun 24 2026

Friday...Low amplitude ridging develops over our forecast area, with
some drier air noted advecting in. However, still expect isolated to
widely scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms to form along a
low level convergence axis along the I-25 corridor. A few strong and
possibly severe storms may occur.

Saturday...The flow aloft turns southwest and increases in speed,
with considerably drier air moving across our counties, producing a
dry day with a warming trend as 700 mb temperatures spike near 16
Celsius.

Sunday through Wednesday...A broad trough aloft develops across the
northern and central Rockies, with dry southwest flow aloft, leading
to only isolated to widely scattered thunderstorms at most in the
afternoons and evenings. A progressive shortwave trough aloft is
progged to move to the western Dakotas on Monday, with its
associated cold front bringing a cooler airmass behind the likely
moisture starved cold front. The dry southwest flow aloft continues
for Tuesday and Wednesday with a slow warming trend.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/...
Issued at 1123 AM MDT Wed Jun 24 2026

Isolated to scattered thunderstorms, some strong to severe, will
develop late this afternoon and this evening, mainly along and
east of Interstate 25. Thunderstorms will end by 2 AM. A cold
front along the southern Laramie Range will act as a focus for
convective initiation late this afternoon.

Wyoming TAFS...High confidence in MVFR to VFR conditions
prevailing through the afternoon, with scattered late afternoon
and early evening thunderstorms, producing locally severe
turbulence and shifting and gusty winds to 45 knots, along with
some large hail. Thunderstorms will be most numerous east of
I-25. IFR conditions will develop at Laramie and Cheyenne late
tonight due to ceiling and visibility restrictions, then improve
to MVFR at Cheyenne, and VFR at Laramie after 15Z Thursday.

Nebraska TAFS...High confidence in MVFR continuing at Alliance
and Sidney until mid afternoon, then improving to VFR until 06Z,
before ceilings and visibility restrictions lower to IFR and
MVFR, then improve to MVFR at Sidney, and VFR at Alliance after
15Z. Scattered thunderstorms, some strong to severe, will occur
at the terminals from 00Z to 06Z, producing severe turbulence
and wind gusts in excess of 45 knots, along with hail. After
06Z, MVFR due to ceilings and visibilities will occur at Chadron
and Scottsbluff, with improving ceilings after 15Z Thursday.

&&

.CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WY...None.
NE...Flash Flood Watch through Thursday evening for NEZ002-095.

&&

SHORT TERM...MN
LONG TERM...RUBIN
AVIATION...RUBIN

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Cheyenne WY
312 PM MDT Wed Jun 24 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0306 PM     Landspout        3 ESE Medicine Bow      41.88N 106.15W
06/24/2026                   Carbon             WY   Storm Chaser

            EF-U.

&&

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Cheyenne WY
330 PM MDT Wed Jun 24 2026

WYZ107-108-242200-
East Platte County WY-Goshen County WY-
330 PM MDT Wed Jun 24 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHWESTERN GOSHEN AND
NORTHEASTERN PLATTE COUNTIES THROUGH 400 PM MDT...

At 330 PM MDT, trained weather spotters reported a strong
thunderstorm near Sandy Beach Campground, or 27 miles southwest of
Lusk, moving east at 35 mph.

HAZARD...Nickel size hail.

SOURCE...Trained weather spotters.

IMPACT...Minor hail damage to vegetation is possible.

Locations impacted include...
Glendo State Park, Reno Cove Campground, Sandy Beach Campground,
Bennett Hill Campground, and Two Moon Campground.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 4242 10500 4254 10502 4260 10452 4243 10450
TIME...MOT...LOC 2130Z 260DEG 32KT 4249 10487

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN
MAX WIND GUST...<30 MPH

Goatley

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Cheyenne WY
331 PM MDT Wed Jun 24 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0531 PM     Landspout        3 ESE Medicine Bow      41.88N 106.15W
06/23/2026                   Carbon             WY   Storm Chaser

            Corrects timing in previous landspout report
            from 3 ESE Medicine Bow. EF-U.

&&

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Cheyenne WY
353 PM MDT Wed Jun 24 2026

WYZ103-105>107-242245-
East Platte County WY-Shirley Basin WY-
Central Laramie Range and Southwest Platte County WY-
North Laramie Range WY-
353 PM MDT Wed Jun 24 2026

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT NORTHEASTERN ALBANY...
NORTHWESTERN PLATTE AND SOUTH CENTRAL CONVERSE COUNTIES THROUGH 445
PM MDT...

At 353 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a cluster of strong
thunderstorms along a line extending from near Laramie Peak to 8
miles northeast of Wheatland Reservoir Number 3. Movement was east at
25 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Windy Peak, Flying X Ranch, Wheatland Reservoir Number 3, Garrett,
Friend Park Campground, Laramie Peak, Harris Park, and Esterbrook.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM MDT for southeastern
and east central Wyoming.

&&

LAT...LON 4243 10506 4180 10522 4183 10577 4238 10565
TIME...MOT...LOC 2153Z 255DEG 22KT 4230 10547 4194 10558

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

Natoli

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Cheyenne WY
440 PM MDT Wed Jun 24 2026

WYZ115-242315-
Laramie Valley WY-
440 PM MDT Wed Jun 24 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTH CENTRAL ALBANY COUNTY
THROUGH 515 PM MDT...

At 440 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 9
miles northwest of Laramie Regional Airport, or 13 miles west of
Laramie, moving east at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and penny size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Laramie, West Laramie, Antelope Buttes, Rogers Canyon, University Of
Wyoming War Memorial Stadium, Laramie Regional Airport, Paddocks,
Pope Springs, and Albany County Fairgrounds.

This includes Interstate 80 in Wyoming between mile markers 292 and
315.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM MDT for southeastern
Wyoming.

&&

LAT...LON 4134 10596 4148 10591 4143 10553 4121 10557
TIME...MOT...LOC 2240Z 288DEG 17KT 4139 10583

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

Goatley