They said it was going to be cold. Turns out, they were right.
Casper’s low temperature of 42 degrees below zero could be the coldest the community has ever recorded.
Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day wasn’t ready to proclaim it the all-time record holder quite yet. But he’s close.
“This is appears to be — we’ll have to check all the records — but this might be the coldest overnight low temperature ever recorded in Casper,” Day said in his morning forecast.
His entire weather recap and forecast can be seen here.
Still Working
Just because it’s cold, doesn’t mean Wyomingites stay at home.
David Browning of Casper said the temperature dropped by 29 degrees during the 45 minutes he was in Walmart Wednesday morning. After running an even quicker errand, it dropped another nine degrees to -5.
Luckily, the middle school gym teacher dressed for the weather.
“I said to myself, ‘I think I’m going to wear some nice sweatpants today,'” he said.
More Records
It’s not the only record that occurred. In Cheyenne, the temperature fell from 43 to 3 degrees in 30 minutes on Wednesday afternoon which broke the one-hour temperature drop record of 37 degrees.
It also led The Weather Channel to proclaim “Cheyenne, Wyoming is a strong contender for worst weather in the continental U.S. right now.”
Day said Cheyenne was not alone in breaking the one-hour temperature drop record but there were too many to list.
Wyoming Highway Patrol
The Wyoming Highway Patrol has kept busy responding to over 787 calls for service, 196 motorists assisted, and 104 crashes.
Troopers posted video of what they were experiencing including one with the commentary: “Nope, the trooper didn’t make a wrong turn and end up in Antarctica.” But it sure looked that way.
Fatality
One first responder died on Wednesday when a semi-truck smashed into an ambulance in Carbon County.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol said the fatal crash happened at milepost 197, westbound on Interstate 80 west of Rawlins at about 4:15 a.m.
The first responder, a member of the ambulance crew on scene, who sustained fatal injuries has been identified as 29-year-old Tyeler Harris of Saratoga.
Low Temps
This is not an exhaustive list as the different weather organizations serving Wyoming are not unified in their reporting. But these are some verified low temperatures around the state.
-42 Casper
-38 Glenrock
-36 Worland
-33 Cowley
-32 Buffalo Bill Reservoir
-31 Esterbrook
-30 Douglas
-30 Rock River
-30 Powell
-29 Douglas
-29 F.E. Warren AFB
-28 Albany
-28 Sheridan
-28 Boulder
-25 Devils Gate
-25 Laramie
-25 Encampment
-25 Cheyenne
-23 Granger
-21 Farson
-20 Elk Mountain
-19 Lingle
Keeping the Cows In
Rep. Chip Neiman fed his cows and hoped for the best.
At 2:15 Thursday Neiman reported -18 degree temperatures on his ranch in a valley near Hulett, Wyoming with fresh snow continuing to blast in at an angle; snow devils danced across the fields.
“It’s hard to be nice when it’s this naughty outside,” Neiman said with a laugh. “I’m looking at the birds up here in the trees wondering ‘Why?'”
But Neiman said the storm isn’t supposed to be long-lived. He’s got the cattle near the house and the feed nearby. “We’ve got plenty of feed in front of the livestock – and that’s the best you can do for them.”
Things aren’t as bad in the ranch, nestled between hills, as they are in the flatlands of nearby Moorcroft, said Neiman. He and his wife Joni had visited the town Thursday morning.
“Boy those folks out in those open winds – that’s tough,” he said. “We’re better off in the hills here. Cold, but better off.”
Left Out
The town of Jackson is out of sync with the rest of Wyoming, according to Rob Wallace, a resident of ski community Teton Village.
“I don’t think we’ve been popped with the really cold weather the rest of the state is seeing,” Wallace said, leisurely walking to the window and reading an outdoor temperature of 20 degrees – above zero.
There were between five and six inches of snow overnight before Thursday dawned, but the airport seemed to get flights in and out throughout the day.
“While it’s snowy, it’s not paralyzing here,” said Wallace.
He said it’s common for Jackson to be different from the rest of Wyoming, weather-wise.
“When you here about I-80, I-25 being shut, here it seems to be a little bit more temperate,” he said. “Other times we get blasted while the rest of the state is having their gardens starting to grow.”
A Nice Poem
Jerry Kendall, a former Jeffrey City resident who now lives in Hudson, Wyoming provided Cowboy State Daily this wintery poem.
Wow!! Baby it’s cold outside. Bout 15 below.
All the roads are closed, there’s nowhere to go.
It’s supposed to be like this well into next month.
It’s too late to head south. It’s too late to run.
If I’d left two weeks ago, like I had wanted to do,
I’d be baskin in the sun and tannin at the pool.
But no, instead I stayed and now I’m freezin off my nuts.
Tried to do what’s right and now I’m kickin my own butt.
I know, I know, it’s nobodies’ fault but my own.
Can’t blame anyone else, was my decision alone.
Tried to help someone whom I thought was in need.
But, you’ll not go unpunished for doin a good deed.
BRRRRRRRRRR
Thursday’s Forecast
Here’s Don Day with the chilly outlook:
