Wyoming

Storm To Bring Up To 9 Inches Of Snow, 50 MPH Winds Across Parts Of Wyoming

Published

1 year ago

December 9, 2024

Storm To Bring Up To 9 Inches Of Snow, 50 MPH Winds Across Parts Of Wyoming

It’s getting colder around the Cowboy State, with some serious snow expected in parts of Wyoming this week.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the Northern Black Hills of Wyoming and South Dakota through 5 a.m. Wednesday. And it’ll be a doozy for the first significant winter storm of the season for the region.

Although the snow has been flying in the higher elevations of Wyoming, up to 9 inches of snow is expected across the Black Hills, with wind gusts as high as 50 mph. Shane Eagan, a meteorologist with the NWS Office in Rapid City, South Dakota, said the impact will be determined by elevation.

“It’s highly elevation-dependent,” he said. “Sundance will probably get 3-6 six inches by Wednesday, and there could be a foot or more as you go up.”

Meanwhile, there might be a few flurries across the rest of Wyoming, but most spots will be spared snow for now. Crook and Weston Counties will bear the brunt of the blizzard-like conditions.

“It’s all driven by the terrain,” Eagan said. “The snowfall potential increases as the cold air hits the upslope, while everywhere else won’t get much, if any.”

Catching The Edge

Northeast Wyoming is catching the edge of another cold surge that will bypass most of the state.

Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day said waves of winter weather could make travel difficult in Crook and Weston Counties this week.

“It’s going to be persistent snow,” he said. “There may be heavy accumulations over the next two and half days, but it’ll come down in sheets and curtains rather than a steady curtain.”

Beyond the Black Hills, Sheridan and Gillette might see a sprinkling of snow, but the system won’t extend into the lower elevation areas of northeast Wyoming. That could cause some travel impacts on the Interstate 90corridor, especially since the cold weather will persist into the weekend.

“In general, we’re not warming up this week,” Eagan said. “The trend is warmer into the weekend, but it is hard to say how quickly the snow will melt once it falls. It should be here for at least a few days, if not longer.”

The impacts of this week’s winter storm will vary depending on one’s proximity to the Black Hills. Winds will get stronger, and the snow will become deeper along the highest sections of I-90 between Wyoming and South Dakota.

“This is a fairly common pattern in the winter for that region of the state to get snow when northwest winds push into the Black Hills,” Day said. “The closer you get to the Black Hills, the more snow you’ll get.”

Cold And Blustery

While Crook and Easton Counties get covered, the rest of Wyoming will feel cold and blustery. But Day described it as “nothing to write home about.”

“It’ll be a lot colder across the state on Tuesday, with brisk winds and snow flurries on the plains,” he said. “Temperatures will moderate a little bit on Wednesday as the colder air moves off to the east later this week.”

Nevertheless, Day anticipates that next week will be full of “active weather.” Cold fronts from the Pacific Ocean will descend into Wyoming, which means fluctuating temperatures and mountain snow across most of the state.

“We have to take these patterns on a day-by-day basis,” he said. “You can’t look too far ahead, but it’s going to be a busier pattern than what we’ve seen recently. Last week, nothing was going on. It was warmer here than in Florida. These incoming frontal systems will keep things active.”

(Wyoming Department of Transportation District 4)

Season’s Greetings

Meteorological winter started Dec. 1, 20 days before the calendar marks the start of winter. Wyoming has missed the worst of this season’s winter weather, but there are changes ahead.

Day said most of the winter weather this season has skewed eastward, bringing subzero temperatures and heavy snow to the Great Lakes and Midwest. He called these patterns “cold shots.”

“I think the really cold air will stay to our east this December,” he said. “That’s caught some people in the eastern half of the country off-guard, as the first week of the month was much colder than they anticipated.”

Wyoming might be missing these cold shots, but this is just the beginning of the winter season. Day believes there’s a change on the horizon, especially as 2024 ends.

“The real cold looks like it will get here in January and February for this part of the country,” he said. “Through the winter, these patterns shift around and move westward.”

The week between Christmas Day and New Year’s could be the first statewide taste of the colder, snowier winter ahead. Day thinks that’s when winter will kick in with more ferocity across the Cowboy State.

“That’s when we’ll start to see winter,” he said. “There’s already been a lot of winter this year, but it’s been to our east. We’re just getting this pattern started.”

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.

Source link

Wyoming

University of Wyoming sues former energy research partner for $2.5M – WyoFile

Published

3 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

University of Wyoming sues former energy research partner for .5M – WyoFile

The University of Wyoming filed a lawsuit this week seeking $2.5 million from an energy company it partnered with to research enhanced oil recovery.

The university in 2024 signed a contract with Houston-based ACU Energy to advance research at the university’s Center of Innovation for Flow Through Porous Media, according to the university’s complaint filed Monday in Wyoming’s U.S. District Court. ACU Energy agreed to pay the university $15 million over the six-year research period. The company, according to the complaint, was to pay the university $2.5 million annually with two payments each year.

While the university kept up its end of the bargain — by assembling a research team, training research members and incurring costs to modify laboratory space — ACU Energy “failed to pay the University even a cent owed under the Agreement, leaving $2,500,000 outstanding in unpaid invoices,” the complaint alleges.

ACU Energy did not respond to a WyoFile request for comment before publication.

Old Main, the University of Wyoming’s oldest building, is home to administrative offices. (Tennessee Watson/WyoFile)

The company notified the university in February that it was terminating the contract, and the university notified ACU Energy in May of its breach of contract, according to court filings. The university asked the court for a jury trial.

Enhanced oil recovery refers to methods used to squeeze more crude from reservoirs that have already been tapped for primary production, extending the life of an oilfield.

The university commonly accepts money from private businesses in return for lending resources and expertise to advance research. The Center of Innovation for Flow Through Porous Media is part of the university’s Research Centers of Excellence in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

The Center of Innovation for Flow Through Porous Media, led by Mohammad Piri, a professor of petroleum engineering, bills itself as “the most advanced oil and gas research facility in the world.” The center conducts research at the university’s High Bay Research facility, which “is funded by $37.2 million in state dollars and $16.3 million in private contributions, with an additional $9.2 million in private gifts for research equipment,” according to the center’s website.

The center has received donations from oil industry heavyweights like ExxonMobil, Halliburton and Baker Hughes.

Piri was tapped to serve as “principal investigator” for the UW-ACU Energy partnership, according to the university’s complaint. As of press time, ACU Energy had not filed a response to the lawsuit.

Source link

Wyoming

Search for fugitive wanted for child-sex crimes leaves Wyoming town on alert

Published

15 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Search for fugitive wanted for child-sex crimes leaves Wyoming town on alert

With a population under 600, Byron, Wyo., is generally a quiet town. In recent weeks, streets have been even quieter as both local and federal law enforcement search for 39-year-old fugitive Anthony Pease, who is wanted for six counts of sexual assault involving a minor.

Authorities have been searching the area for weeks, and a reward for information leading to an arrest now sits at $2,000.

See how the search impacts the town:

Search for fugitive wanted for child sex crimes leaves Wyoming town on alert

Saturday morning, law enforcement shared there was a confirmed sighting of Pease near town and reminded residents to remain vigilant by locking their doors and reporting suspicious activity. According to Wyoming’s Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office, before the weekend sighting, Pease hasn’t been seen since Nov. 1.

The Big Horn County Schools Superintendent, Matt Davidson, told MTN News a school resource officer on staff stays up to date with the latest on search efforts, and some parents say they’ve been keeping their kids indoors when they’re not at school.

As the search continues, the mayor as well as some residents, say they are taking law enforcement’s advice while keeping a watchful eye.

“I never used to lock my house during the day. I didn’t even lock my vehicles at night. In fact, a lot of the time I’d leave the keys in them. I’ve talked to other people and there is quite a few people that are nervous. I would hope that a lot of us are nervous because this is a bad thing,” said Byron Mayor Allan Clark.

In fact, investigators could be seen around Byron knocking on doors and scanning land outside of town.

“There’s just so much area and a low population, so much area for him to hide and seek shelter,” Clark said.

With so many wide-open spaces and abandoned buildings in the area, Clark understands why the search has gone on so long.

According to the US Marshals Service, Pease is 5 feet 11 inches tall and may also be going by the name Abraham. They also ask that anyone nearby who has a collection of silver dollars to ensure they are still there, and if not, to report to authorities.

Marshals say Pease is considered dangerous, and the public is told to not approach him and instead call 9-1-1. As the search has stretched over six weeks, many residents hope a capture will bring life back to normal.

“I hope that they capture him soon, and I hope that us as community members and around the area keep our eyes open and report anything suspicious,” said Clark.

Source link