Summer hit Wyoming with temperatures hovering around 20 degrees above average in many parts of the state, setting record highs, according to data from the National Weather Service.
Though not unprecedented, Riverton meteorologist Noah Myers said, it’s also not typical of this time of year.
“It does happen,” Myers said, “and it’s definitely setting records and probably will (Friday), too.”
The National Weather Service data is based on information collected over the past 20 years from primary weather sites throughout the state.
The hotspot Thursday was Greybull with a high of 95 degrees, well above the average of 75 degrees for early June, breaking former record-high of 88 set in 2000.
Buffalo hit a high of 90 degrees, beating the former all-time high of 82 degrees for June 3 set last year. Gillette also hit a high of 90 on Thursday.
Big Piney’s daytime high of 85 on Thursday also set a record, beating the previous record of 82 set in 1986. Casper was slightly cooler at 84 degrees, tying its record high for the same day in 1992.
Riverton, too, saw an all-time high of 88 degrees, breaking a 19-year-old record. Rock Springs, meanwhile, also set a record at 78 degrees, 1 degree above the previous record of 77 set in 2020.
Slightly chillier but also setting a record high was Lander at 81 degrees, just one degree above 80 degrees on the same day last year.
Even Lake Yellowstone registered a new record of 75 degrees for Thursday, 5 degrees above its previous record set in 2004. Typically, temperatures in the Tetons average in the mid-50s for this time of year.
The heat wave is expected to continue throughout the weekend.
These data are preliminary and have not undergone final quality control by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) with final assessments accessible at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov.