High Wind — Shirley Basin, Wyoming

2024-01-09 · Shirley Basin, Wyoming

Event narrative

Multiple UPR sensors suggest wind gusts reached or exceeded 58 MPH in the vicinity of Highway 287 between Rock River and Medicine Bow.

Wider weather episode

A large, organized area of low pressure tracked from the southern Plains into the Upper Midwest during the period from 1/8 to 1/10, contributing to a persistent and intense surface pressure gradient across southeast Wyoming. This resulted in an extended period of strong winds over southeast Wyoming, with the strongest winds generally observed along and west of Interstate 25. The peak wind gust for the event was 79 MPH at Strouss Hill along Interstate 80 near Arlington, with a peak gust to 67 MPH and 65 MPH at the Cheyenne Airport on 1/9 and 1/10, respectively. In the North Snowy Range Foothills near Arlington and Elk Mountain, the combination of strong winds and fresh snow pack resulted in a 3+ hour period of ground blizzard conditions along Interstate 80 between Laramie and Rawlins with visibilities under 1/8 of a mile from late in the evening on 1/8 into the early morning hours of 1/9.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1148488. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.