Strong winds will hit part of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, forecast region Friday night and potentially impact traffic with tropical storm-force gusts.
The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Cheyenne issued a high wind watch on Thursday afternoon for the north Snowy Range foothills, including the cities of Arlington and Elk Mountain, and the central Laramie Range, southwest Platte County, and south Laramie Range, including the cities of Bordeaux, Vedauwoo, Pumpkin Vine and Buford.
Interstate 25 between Chugwater and Wheatland and Interstate 80 between Cheyenne and Laramie could be affected.
Impacts from the wind will be “mainly to transportation,” the alert said.
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“Strong cross winds will be hazardous to light weight or high profile vehicles, including campers and tractor trailers,” the alert said.
A stock image of a truck driving on a highway. High winds could make travel difficult in Wyoming on Friday. A stock image of a truck driving on a highway. High winds could make travel difficult in Wyoming on Friday. vitpho/Getty
West winds between 25 and 35 mph are expected, with gusts up to 60 mph, equivalent to a tropical storm.
Tropical storm winds occur between 39 mph and 73 mph. Winds stronger than that are classified as a hurricane using the Saffir-Simpson wind scale. Although the winds in Wyoming are not related to a tropical storm in any manner, their speed could resemble a tropical storm.
It’s uncertain if the watch will be upgraded to a warning, as it’s still possible the wind gusts won’t reach the 60 mph threshold for the upgrade. NWS meteorologist Michael Charnick told Newsweek that the incoming winds are weaker than Wyoming can sometimes see, when winds as strong as 90 mph hit the I-80 corridor.
“You definitely can see trucks get blown over, or lightweight trailers,” NWS meteorologist Rob Cox previously told Newsweek. “They completely blow over.”
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On Thursday morning, the NWS office in Cheyenne said the winds would prevail through Saturday.
“Breezy to windy conditions will prevail, especially for the wind prone locations, through Saturday,” the office posted. “Expect a slow warming trend through Monday. Skies will be sunny today, Sunday and Monday, and partly cloudy for the Friday and Saturday. It will remain dry.”
Wind-prone areas in Wyoming can see strong gusts of wind up to 90 days out of the year.
“It is pretty common here in Wyoming, we probably see wind across these areas three to four months out of the year,” Cox said. “It’ll happen on a consistent basis from October to March.”
The best chance for strong winds will occur on Saturday morning, Charnick said. Some snow is present in the impacted areas, and winds could cause blowing snow.
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Charnick suggested motorists should be aware of road closures, as sometimes I-80 and I-25 are closed due to high winds.
As of Thursday night, according to animated weather footage from windy.com, the strongest gusts in Wyoming were near Wheatland at around 35 mph.
WILSON, Wyo. — According to the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center (BTAC), today around 2:15 p.m. a backcountry user was caught in an avalanche on The Claw, a popular ski run on Teton Pass.
BTAC’s report states that one person was carried and partially buried and sustained a critical injury in the slide. The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) closed the road over Teton Pass for approximately 45 minutes to execute the rescue.
Video: Tucker Zibilich
In today’s avalanche report, BTAC emphasized that “dangerous avalanche conditions exist in the backcountry. Skiers and riders have the potential to trigger slab avalanches in steep terrain above 8000 feet on a variety of aspects.”
The Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) helicopter can be seen landing on the roadway in a video from Buckrail reader Tucker Zibilich.
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Video: Tucker Zibilich
TCSAR has not yet released a statement about the event.
Hannah is a Buckrail Staff Reporter and freelance web developer and designer who has called Jackson home since 2015. When she’s not outside, you can probably find her eating a good meal, playing cribbage, or at one of the local yoga studios. She’s interested in what makes this community tick, both from the individual and collective perspective.
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