Another Day of Wind, Only this Time it’s Cold

All day Wednesday strong winds wreaked havoc around Wyoming, with multiple locations clocking hurricane force gusts (>74 mph). The good thing about Wednesday is it wasn’t cold outside, even though a blanket of clouds sat over Wyoming all day. Snow arrived late Wednesday evening, and while accumulations were negligible, it was enough to add some slick spots to the road when conditions were already dangerous because of the wind. Enter Thursday, where the wind continues but the direction has now shifted out of the northwest, bringing bitter wind chills with it.

For many places today will be the last of the crazy winds for a bit. High Wind Warnings for many are set to expire at 5:00 pm this evening, with the northeastern part of the state seeing them until midnight tonight. The Panhandle of Nebraska however is under a High Wind Warning until 11:00 am Friday morning, and there is a chance the parts of Southeast Wyoming could see theirs extended to a similar timeframe as the strong winds are expected to hang around through much of Friday in Cheyenne, Wheatland, and Laramie. Scottsbluff Nebraska will also continue to see these powerful winds Friday as well. Temperatures will begin to climb again on Friday, and more sunshine is expected to accompany that.

Friday night more clouds are expected to fill in across Wyoming, and scattered snow showers are expected around the state overnight into Saturday morning, moving in from the northwest and pushing southeast. This will result in another slight cool-down between Saturday and Sunday, and even more snow showers are expected leading into MLK Day on Monday. Monday potentially may bring the largest snow threat of the next several days, however it doesn’t look to be anything major. It will be the best opportunity for measurable snowfall in locations such as Riverton, Casper, and Laramie. Cheyenne will likely being hit very hard due to the Laramie Mountains off to the west.