A climatologist thinks he’s figured out a route for road trips across the U.S. and parts of Canada, in which travelers will have ideal 70-degee weather the entire way, including hitting Wyoming on Aug. 1.
But unless travelers want to roast in temperatures in the 80s, 90s or even in triple digits, Aug. 1. is about the worst time to drive through the Wyoming if the goal is mild temperatures, said Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day.
Summer’s heat usually peaks between July 15 and Aug. 15, so it’s unreasonable to expect daytime highs of only 70, Day said.
“We’re right in the middle of the hottest days of the year,” he said.
Not Good Cycling Weather
Brian Brettschneider, a researcher for the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, has for years come up with road trip maps he says are based on average weather data.
They offer more than 13,000 miles along a few different routes, promising trekkers a reasonable chance of hitting 70-degree days nearly every stop along the way, he claims.
One route recommends starting at the southern tip of Texas on New Year’s Day, and planning on making it to Wyoming on or about Aug. 1.
Brettschneider’s routes and timing are recommended mostly for bicyclists, but can be adjusted for motorcyclists or drivers.
And this time of year, cyclists in Wyoming might get 70-degee peddling weather for a couple of hours right after dawn, and maybe in the evening, Day said.
But the rest of the day is going to involve some serious sweating, he said.
“At mid-day, even on the top of the Snowy Range mountains pass, it’s going to be in the mid-70s,” Day said.
Splitting The Difference
Day said at first he didn’t understand how Brettschneider had figured it was going to be only about 70 degrees in Wyoming during late July and early August.
But then he realized the temperature estimates were based on splitting the expected highs and lows into averages.
The map is “based on average temperatures, not actual expected daytime high temperatures,” he said.
That’s done by adding the estimated low temperature on any given day to the estimated high, and then splitting the difference, Day said.
“So, if you expect a low temperature of 50 and a high of 90, added together, that’s 140. Then you divide that by two, to get 70,” he said.
It’s ‘Misleading’
While traveling across the country while experiencing perpetual room temperatures sounds appealing, Day cautioned against using Brettschneider’s map as a guide.
Basing the premise on the average isn’t accurate and is misleading, Day said. The technical average temperature in most of Wyoming this time of year really will be 70 degrees or so.
But the map apparently doesn’t take into account inevitable variations by time of day, he said.
“It’s not inaccurate, but it’s misleading,” Day said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
