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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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“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.”
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“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.”
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Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
When a clinic closes in Wyoming, it doesn’t just close a door; it can cut off access to care for entire communities.
For many residents, getting to a health care provider already means traveling long distances across multiple counties, and local clinics are often the only nearby option for basic health care. With one Title X Family Planning clinic in western Wyoming now closed, the challenge is becoming even more real for many people.
Reproductive and sexual health care is a key part of overall health, but it’s often one of the first services people lose access to when clinics close. Title X Family Planning is a federal program that helps people get essential preventive care, no matter their income. These clinics offer services like birth control, cancer screenings, STI and HIV testing, and care before pregnancy. They help people stay healthy, catch problems early, and plan for their futures.
The need is real. Wyoming’s Title X Family Planning network remains a critical part of the state’s health care system, helping bridge gaps in both access and affordability. With 9 clinics currently serving communities across the state, these providers cared for nearly 12,000 patients through more than 28,000 visits between 2022 and 2025. For many, these clinics are their only source of care: 49% of patients were uninsured, and nearly half were living at or below the federal poverty level.
In a state where distance and cost can both be barriers, affordable care is essential. About 14.6% of Wyoming women ages 19–44 are uninsured, higher than the national average. Title X clinics help meet this need by offering low- or no-cost care, while also connecting patients to referrals and additional health services when needed, ensuring more individuals can get the care they deserve.
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These clinics are also on the front lines of prevention. In recent years, they delivered more than 3,100 cervical cancer screenings and about 20,000 STI and HIV tests. Services like these support early detection and treatment, helping reduce the need for more serious and costly care down the line.
In rural states like Wyoming, once a clinic closes, it is very hard to bring it back. These clinics are more than buildings; they are part of the local health care system that keeps communities healthy.
The good news is that Title X Family Planning clinics are still open, working every day to serve their communities. The Wyoming Health Council supports this network of clinics and works to ensure that people across the state can access the care they need. Through partnerships, education, and community-based programs, the organization helps connect Wyoming residents to reproductive and sexual health services, no matter where they live.
In a state where distance, cost, and provider shortages all play a role, these clinics, and the work supporting them, are more than just a convenience. They are a lifeline.
To help sustain this work and protect access to care across Wyoming, consider making a donation to the Wyoming Health Council.
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Donation Link: givebutter.com/WYTitleX
Required Federal Funding statement: This project is supported by the Office of Populations Affairs (OPA) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award 1 FPHPA 006541-0-00 totaling $978,380 with 100 percent funded by OPA/OASH/HHS. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by OPA/OASH/HHS or the U.S. Government.
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CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper City Council voted Tuesday to approve on first reading a zoning change for a vacant 2.4-acre parcel located at 1530 SE Wyoming Boulevard, transitioning the property from residential to commercial use.
The ordinance reclassifies Lot 4 of the Methodist Church Addition from Residential Estate to General Business. Located between East 15th and East 18th streets, the irregular-shaped property has remained undeveloped since it was first platted in 1984.
While original plans for the subdivision envisioned a church and an associated preschool, Community Development Director Liz Becher reported those projects never materialized.
According to Becher, the applicant sought the rezoning to facilitate the potential installation of a cell tower or an off-premises sign. Under the new C-2 designation, a cell tower up to 130 feet in height is considered a permitted use by right, though any off-premises sign would still require a conditional use permit from the Planning and Zoning Commission. The applicant also owns the adjacent lot to the north, which the city rezoned to general business in 2021.
Becher said the change aligns with the “Employment Mixed Use” classification in the Generation Casper comprehensive land use plan. This designation typically supports civic, institutional and employment spaces.
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Despite the new zoning, the property remains subject to a subdivision agreement that limits traffic access. Entry and exit are restricted to right turns onto or from East 15th Street, and no access is permitted from East 18th Street.
The council will vote on two more readings of the ordinance before it is officially ratified.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Two men were detained in Wyoming in connection with a fatal shooting at a downtown Salt Lake hotel that killed one man.
Carlos Chee, 23, and Chino Aguilar, 21, were both wanted for first-degree felony murder after the victim, identified as Christian Lee, 32, was found dead in a room at the Springhill Suites near 600 South and 300 West.
According to warrants issued for their arrest, Chee and Aguilar met with Lee and another woman at the hotel to sell marijuana. During the alleged drug deal, Aguilar allegedly shot and killed Lee after he tried to grab at his gun.
MORE | Shootings
Investigators said they found Lee dead in the room upon arrival, as well as a single shell casing on the floor and a small amount of marijuana on the television stand.
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The woman told investigators she had met Chee on a dating app and that he agreed to come to the hotel to sell her marijuana. She had been hanging out with him in the room, which Lee rented for her to use, when Lee asked them to leave. Lee was then shot and killed following a brief confrontation.
Chee and Aguilar allegedly fled the scene in a 2013 Toyota Camry with a Texas license plate that was later found outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming just a few hours later.
The two men were taken into custody and detained at the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.
