High Wind — Natrona County Lower Elevations, Wyoming

2023-07-03 to 2023-07-07 · Natrona County Lower Elevations, Wyoming

Event narrative

A line of thunderstorms moved across Natrona County and brought high wind to much of the area. The strongest wind occurred north of Casper where gusts of 80 mph were reported along Interstate 25. Wind gusts over 60 mph were also reported in Casper as well as near the Pathfinder Reservoir.

Wider weather episode

A strong cold front and shortwave moved across Wyoming. Showers and thunderstorms mixed strong low level winds to the surface and brought numerous reports of wind gusts over 50 mph. The highest wind occurred in the Wind River Range where favored channeling brought wind gusts as high as 96 mph. In the lower elevations, the highest wind gust was 80 mph to the north of Casper. Wind gusts over 58 mph occurred in Fremont, Teton, Natrona, Sublette and Sweetwater Counties. In Fremont County, the wind capsized a kayak and threw two men into the water at Ocean Lake. One man could not be rescued and was presumed drowned. On the north shore of Lake Yellowstone, a microburst downed hundreds of trees in the Lake Village area of the park, blocking roads and causing a loss of power for multiple days.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1124955. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.