Warm Start to the Week, Change Brewing

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - We have weather alerts, a chilly night tonight, warmer temperatures, and a winter storm all coming in the week so let’s get things rolling.

Starting with our weather alerts, we have a high wind watch in effect for most of the area until Tuesday as we can expect 60 MPH wind gusts in Laramie and Cheyenne tomorrow into the new week ahead. Those winds will be widespread and can cause travel impacts to be sure to stay up to date as the day goes on. Those winds will start to slow down after Tuesday but Wednesday has a big change we’ll get to. We also have a winter weather advisory for the Snowy and Sierra Madre ranges as there is some snow moving into the area overnight and the strong winds will blow the snow around and cut into visibility.

We do have active weather alerts in the area, mainly a High Wind Watch across most of the... — We do have active weather alerts in the area, mainly a High Wind Watch across most of the southeastern part of the state. We also have a Winter Weather Advisory for the Snowy and Sierra Madre ranges due to snow on the way tonight and the storm moving in Wednesday(KGWN Weather Desk)

Tonight’s lows are below freezing across the state with most places in the 20s but there are a few exceptions, mainly the western edge of Wyoming, Riverton, and Big Piney. Temperatures tomorrow will not be as warm as they were today but they will remain around average and a warmer Monday and Tuesday are on the way. Temperatures on Monday will be in the upper 40s for Cheyenne and mid 30s for Casper and Tuesday will see 50s return to the Cheyenne area and near 40 degree temperatures in the Casper area.

Tonight's Lows are below freezing for the entire state with the Cheyenne area being closest... — Tonight's Lows are below freezing for the entire state with the Cheyenne area being closest around 30 degrees, Casper a bit cooler at 22, and Riverton in the single digits(KGWN Weather Desk)

We can’t get used to those spring like temperatures however as a big change is in store for Wednesday. A low pressure system will form just to the south of the border of Colorado and Wyoming due to mountain air coming down from the mountain and generating low pressure at the surface. That low pressure system will be getting warm air from the southwest and moisture from the already saturated air so there will be plenty of moisture for it to get rid of. We would be warm enough for it to all be rain, however the cold front will also drop our temperatures by quite a large amount as it passes through. Cheyenne could go from 50 degrees on Tuesday, to a high of just 13 on Wednesday, a drop of 37 degrees. Not quite the large drop we had with a massive winter storm that passed through late last year that set records, but still impressive. However, the drop in temperature means we’ll be getting all snow and some ice as well so we need to be prepared for more winter conditions around the area.

This is how the winter storm will set up. A low will form in Colorado close to the border due... — This is how the winter storm will set up. A low will form in Colorado close to the border due to cold mountain air coming down (a process called lee-side cyclogenesis), and that low will have strong, moist winds coming into it with colder temperatures up north which gives it a perfect setup for snowfall(KGWN Weather Desk)

Of course, we need to know what areas will see the most snow. While the storm is just too far out to get a good forecast of how much we’ll receive around the area, we have some idea of where the heaviest snow will fall. The most snow will likely fall around the Riverton and Casper areas, especially in higher elevations, and as we move south towards Cheyenne, the less likely there will be heavy snowfall. However, even if Cheyenne misses the heavy snowfall, it’s likely we will receive quite a bit and our wind gusts will still blow the snow around causing travel impacts around the area and the forecast may change as the storm starts to form so it is important to be prepared if you have to travel and to stay informed as we get closer to this event.

Taking a look at where we can expect the most heavy snow, we can see the northern areas of the... — Taking a look at where we can expect the most heavy snow, we can see the northern areas of the state such as Riverton and Casper are more likely to get heavy snow while Cheyenne is less likely, but there is still a chance(KGWN Weather Desk)

Finally, wrapping things up with our extended forecast, we have a nice start to the week ahead with Monday and Tuesday warming up, but we of course have that storm on Wednesday bringing the colder temperatures and snow. Thursday will remain cold but we start warming up on Friday and the next weekend ahead. For Casper, things are colder but we can see things will follow the same trend with that storm coming in on Wednesday and things warming up after the storm passes through into the next weekend ahead.