The winter windstorm on Tuesday was the first of its kind this winter season, and semi-truck drivers bore the brunt of it.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) is still collecting reports from troopers who responded to incidents on I-80, I-90 and I-25 on Tuesday, but the number of vehicles reported to have been blown over so far show the severity of the hurricane-force winds.
"We've had 21 blowovers confirmed on Tuesday, so far," WHP spokesman Aaron Brown told Cowboy State Daily. "Some sort of injury was reported in nine of those incidents, but there are no reports of serious injuries."
Most of Wyoming's busiest highways were closed to high-profile vehicles under 40,000 pounds (40,000 GVW, gross vehicle weight) for most of Tuesday and Wednesday. WHP troopers don't proactively enforce these closures, leaving the decision to drive at the driver's discretion.
"Nobody automatically blames the drivers, especially our WHP troopers, but a lot of blowovers are preventable," Brown said. "It comes down to making safe, smart decisions and not trying to take these roads during these events."
Another, Another, Another
Shauna Arbogast of Wheatland was traveling along I-25 on Tuesday, heading to Brighton, Colorado, to pick up family. As she drove along the highway, she saw the aftermath of several blowovers.
"I saw two (semi-trucks) south of Cheyenne, a camper in Cheyenne, another camper north of Cheyenne, and two more between Wheatland and Cheyenne," she said. "The Platte County Sheriff's Office had us turn across the median to go back to the Bear Creek exit to get past."
Justen Robinson was driving on I-25 with his wife when they saw a semi-truck blow over near Chugwater.
"What I know is I had my cruise control set at 82 mph and was barely overtaking him," he said. "My wife was the first one to call it in. That was the second blowover I watched happen yesterday."
Arbogast said the Platte County Sheriff's Department and Chugwater Fire Rescue were on the scene and "did a great job" directing traffic away from the multiple incidents. She saw at least one semi-truck driver being led to an ambulance after his truck tipped over.
"I'm not sure if he was shaken up or actually suffered injuries, but someone was leading him by the arm," she said.
According to the National Weather Service office in Cheyenne, wind speeds as high as 76 mph were recorded near Bear Creek. The highest wind gust recorded in southern Wyoming on Tuesday was 87 mph near Arlington along I-80.
Arbogast described the majority of what she saw as "pointless accidents." By the time she was on I-25, it had already been closed to high-profile vehicles for several hours.
"Had people paid attention to the wind, none of them would have happened," she said.
Driver's Discretion
When Wyoming's highways are closed to high-profile vehicles, the highways themselves aren't closed. Semi-truck drivers can decide the risk is worth it, at their peril, but nothing is stopping them.
"Most truckers are required to keep track of their weight," Brown said. "Our troopers aren't going to pull over semi-trucks willy-nilly. The drivers are responsible for knowing their loads."
Brown said that most of the confirmed blowovers occurred during the closures, not before. Even if semi-truck drivers are weighed and over the limit right before they embark on a highway with an active closure, that doesn't guarantee safe passage.
"One of the blowovers was a semi-truck that weighed 41,000 pounds," he said. "The closure was only for loads under 40,000 pounds, so they were above the limit."
It's more accurate to think of closures as potential citations. If a blown-over semi-truck is found to be underweight during an active closure, the driver will be cited.
"They need to be legally and rightfully driving," Brown said. "If they blow over and it's found that their load was underweight, they shouldn't have been driving on that closed road. That's why it's so important to know your load."
It Can Happen To You
Semi-truck blowovers tend to cause the most disruption during a windstorm, but they're not the only ones. Arbogast noted that many of the incidents she saw were campers, not semi-trucks.
Brown noted that many of Tuesday's closures were just as applicable to semi-trucks as they were to RVs and campers. Those are also high-profile vehicles and aren't as heavy as their drivers might think.
"The I-25 corridor north of Casper was closed to vehicles that were 20,000 pounds or less, which is probably going to be most campers and RVs," he said. "Between Cheyenne and Wheatland, the closure was for vehicles under 60,000 pounds."
Even low-profile vehicles aren't immune to wind gusts of 80 mph or more. Brown believes Wyomingites shouldn't overestimate their chances when driving a highway during a windstorm like Tuesday's.
"There were wind gusts of 105 mph yesterday," he said. "That's going to pull any car out of its lane. When the winds are that strong, you must drive with extra caution, whether it's a semi-truck or not."
Brown's recommendations for low-profile vehicles were the same as those he'd give for high-profile vehicles. When Wyoming's highways are closed due to strong, gusty winds, they need to consider their safety before continuing.
"You need to make safe, smart decisions," he said, "If the wind's blowing your vehicle around, get to the nearest safe haven. It can be a rest area, truck stop, or a turnout — anywhere you can hunker down until the wind stops."
If someone encounters a semi-truck being blown about, the best thing to do is yield some space.
"The smart decision is to give them space, which is basically all you can do," Brown said. "If you need to pass, pass very carefully. You don't know what's going to happen, or when it will."
Winds Of Winter
Cowboy State Daily meteorologist called Tuesday's windstorm a typical "50-50 day" during a Wyoming winter. It's a natural consequence of the exchange between warm and cold weather patterns.
"It's rare to have 50-degree days and no wind in winter," he said. "When it gets really cold, it doesn't get really windy. It's when we're in between cold snaps and warmups that we have the worst winds."
Whether it's a 50-50 day or another cold snap, Brown sees it as a difference without distinction. It's winter in Wyoming, and that's always hazardous on highways.
"Winter is the longest and, arguably, the most brutal season in Wyoming," he said. "It's not just wind. There are chances of sudden snow, sudden ice, and the weather taking a nasty turn at any time."
Semi-truck drivers need to know their loads, but Brown hopes all Wyoming drivers exercise caution when traveling this winter. Awareness is the best tool they can have to keep themselves safe, even if they don't worry about being blown over.
"It's really important, at this time of year, for any driver," he said. "Wherever you're going, make sure you're planning ahead. Watch the forecast and be aware of your surroundings and road conditions. We're in our winter period."
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
