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By Wendy Corr, Cowboy State Daily
Wendy@CowboyStateDaily.com

The precipitation, snowmelt, and runoff that caused devastation in Yellowstone National Park and the Custer-Gallatin National Forest earlier this week are also affecting northern portions of the Shoshone National Forest. 

Kristie Thompson, public affairs officer for the Shoshone National Forest in Cody, told Cowboy State Daily that several campgrounds, roads and trails were closed due to flooding.

“We did have a few different campgrounds that we had to move campers out of, as well as some of our own staff,” Thompson said. 

She explained that campers, volunteers and U.S. Forest Service staff were removed from the Big Game Campground, the Wapiti Campground and the Clearwater Campground, all located on the highway between Cody and Yellowstone National Park.

“Some left on their own, others had to be assisted out, but we were able to safely remove everyone,” Thompson said. 

She added that visitors to the northern part of the Forest, however, should be aware that the weather event that caused this week’s flooding might not be over.

“We know that the water could go up again, because we have some very hot temperatures coming at the end of this week,” Thompson noted. “And we still have good snow up in the mountains. So we could have another – hopefully not as large – but we could have some more flooding happen this weekend. And if that happens we don’t want anyone stuck in those campgrounds. So for now, campgrounds are staying closed.”

Thompson said that Wapiti, Clarks Fork, and Greybull District Ranger Casey McQuiston wants to keep as many areas open to the public as possible, urging visitors to use their best judgment if they plan to visit the forest.

“We know that there are a lot of people who had planned trips to the Greater Yellowstone area and are now having to adjust itineraries because of closures,” said McQuiston, pointing out that the Shoshone National Forest remains open to visitors.

“The Washakie and Wind River Ranger districts of the Shoshone National Forest have not been as impacted as the northern portion of the Shoshone, and there are wonderful recreational opportunities on that end of the Shoshone as well,” McQuiston added.

Thompson said there are four campgrounds currently still open in the Wapiti District and one more will open at the beginning of July. 

“The forest itself does not have any damage to any developed recreation sites,” Thompson said, with the exception of the three campgrounds that are experiencing flooding. “So those all still exist for people to go enjoy. We do understand that there are some washouts that are unsafe for people to cross, so we don’t want people to go through areas that are not safe for them to go out and come back. But there is still a huge amount of the forest available for recreation.”

Thompson said Shoshone National Forest staff will continue to evaluate the situation and will respond to changing conditions, getting information out to the public as soon as possible. Visitors should plan ahead and visit the Shoshone National Forest website (http://www.fs.usda.gov/shoshone) and Facebook page (US Forest Service – Shoshone National Forest) for updates on any areas that may be closed or impacted.

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By Jimmy Orr, Cowboy State Daily

Summer weather is back in Wyoming as evidenced by Tuesday’s weather. It was nice and springy in some areas while other parts of experienced a bit more excitement like tornadoes, funnel clouds, and hail.

The National Weather Service of Cheyenne sent out a note on Wednesday morning wondering if anyone had more information about a funnel cloud spotted just east of Lusk.

“Quite the capture!” they wrote of the “brief tornado” which was taken near Duck Creek Ranch just north of Highway 20 at around 2:30pm.

The photo was taken by Garrett Wurdeman and shared with KNEB-TV in Nebraska.

Tornado Chaser Reed Timmer was paying attention to this twister. He had high regard for it.

“Possible TOTY (tornado of the year) east of Lusk, WY yesterday,” Timmer tweeted. “Would have been a solo intercept on Hwy 20 near the historical site. Important to chase the backdoor targets during high plains insanity.”

Timmer did not explain why the tornado could be so highly valued.

The National Weather Service officially declared it a EF 1. That’s the second to the smallest of the “ranked tornadoes.” Still nothing to sneeze at though.

These EF 1s have winds from 86 – 110mph. Some may say that it would be like living in Clark, Wyoming.

There was some real damage associated with this tornado, however.

Fencing was blown down, roofs were torn off, trees were uprooted,

“The more impressive damage was a barn roof and partial second level were torn off and thrown 50 to 100 yards to the southeast,” the weather service said.

Weather spotter, Kelle Kristeen Moore, produced a photo of another funnel cloud taken the day before 32 miles northeast of Douglas (above).

Not to be outdone, the Thermopolis Independent Record shared a photo of a funnel cloud five miles north of the town taken at 11:30 am on Wednesday (below).

But the real weather on Wednesday happened east of Wyoming in Sidney, Nebraska.  A severe storm dropped more than 10 inches of hail in the community. 

According to News Channel Nebraska, the storm lasted four hours and produced ping pong sized hail in numerous towns.

Other Nebraska communities received up to two inches of rain.

In Wyoming, Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day is predicting 90 degree temperatures in the southern and central parts of the state by this weekend and then snow is actually in the forecast.

What Day is calling an “impressive spring storm” will bring wintry-like weather to higher elevations in some parts of the state.

“Spring is still fighting,” Day said. “We are going to do a complete reverse. We have a big summer warmup and then spring comes back and says I’m not done with you yet.”

Somewhat apologetically, Day said he hated to mention the word but snow was a possibility on Monday night and Tuesday in the higher elevations of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.

“Nothing like what we had over Memorial Day weekend but a mid-June snowfall in the highest elevations can’t be ruled out,” he said. “This front is really impressive.”

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By Wendy Corr, Cowboy State Daily

Call it one of those cases where the weatherman got one right.

The major winter storm that left dozens of motorists stranded in northwest Wyoming on Monday did not come as a surprise, according to a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Riverton.

However, despite winter storm advisories warning of snowfall of up to 2 feet in the area, drivers found themselves trapped on mountain roadways of the Bighorn Basin.

“We’ve been anticipating this storm system for, like, five to seven days,” Brett McDonald told Cowboy State Daily. “Saturday afternoon at about 2:30 (p.m.) is when the winter storm warning was issued for the Absarokas. And in that, we specifically mentioned total snow accumulations of 1 to 2 feet with potentially higher amounts on the southern half of the Absarokas.”

The Wyoming Department of Transportation webcam on the Chief Joseph Highway northwest of Cody caught several cars lined up in the snow, waiting for a WYDOT loader to clear the road.

WYDOT spokesperson Cody Beers told Cowboy State Daily that accumulations reached 2 to 3 feet on Dead Indian Pass.

“In addition to the people stuck at the top of Dead Indian Pass, there were 3 to 4 others stuck on the switchbacks on the west side of the pass,” Beers said. “Everybody stuck on the road was out of there safely by mid-afternoon (Monday).”

While many Cody area residents reported being stranded for more than 24 hours in the Sunlight Basin near Crandall on the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, the snowstorm didn’t just block traffic from the west. The Bighorn Mountains received significant snowfall, resulting in the closure of U.S. Highway 14A over the northern part of the range.

Brent Bien, who has been on the campaign trail as a gubernatorial candidate, was on his way to Cody to give the keynote speech for the Memorial Day service at the Wyoming State Veterans Memorial when he was delayed as he stopped to help a stranded motorist.

“I knew the weather was going to be bad up there over the Bighorns, so typically I get myself about four hours to get over to Cody,” Bien told Cowboy State Daily. “We came over kind of a rise (near Antelope Butte Ski Area), and it was snowing like crazy. I’d say there was probably at least at least 18 inches of snow up there. And I see right in the middle of the road there was a minivan that was just turned sideways.”

The driver and passenger of the van were an older couple from out-of-state, Bien said, who were not prepared for the spring storm.

“Another fellow in a pickup truck came from the other side, opposite of me, and we had to actually turn the minivan 180 degrees,” he said, “because once we got him oriented he couldn’t get up the hill, the roads were really slippery.”

After that 45 minute delay, Bien said he and his wife, Sue, were able to get to Cody just in time for the Memorial Day ceremony.

“When we drove back over (after the ceremony), it was snowing pretty hard up there again,” he said.

The storm, which brought heavy, wet snow to the mountains, also resulted in significant rain at lower elevations in the central part of the state.

“Lots of bowling ball-sized rocks fell all day on US14/16/20 (west of Cody),” said Beers, who praised the crews who kept the highway cleared. “All in all, great work by Cody maintenance!”

Yellowstone National Park received a decent snowfall, according to spokeswoman Linda Veress – but to her knowledge, no one was in need of rescue. Veress took the opportunity to remind visitors to be prepared for uncertain springtime weather.

“It’s springtime in the mountains, and the weather can be so variable that it’s really wise to check the forecast in advance of their visit, and just come prepared,” Veress told Cowboy State Daily. “Usually that means knowing what the road status is, what their weather forecast is, and then just bringing appropriate gear and clothing.”

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By Wendy Corr, Ellen Fike and Jennifer Kocher, Cowboy State Daily

Travel resumed on most of southeastern Wyoming’s highways on Thursday as a strong winter storm that dropped up to 18 inches of snow on parts of the state loosened its grip.

In the wake of the storm, Wyoming residents braced for brisk winds expected to cause the snow to blow and drift on Friday. However, the winds were also expected to bring warmer temperatures to the state, which shivered through sub-zero readings on Wednesday night.

““Wind is going to be the problem into Friday, but on the upside, it will cause some warmer temperatures,” said Brandon Wills, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. “The southeastern part of the state will have gusty winds overnight Thursday and portions of Friday.” 

Snowfall tapered off across the state Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. Accumulations from the storm ranged from 4 to 6 inches in Torrington to 5 to 8 inches in Cheyenne and 18 inches in LaGrange.

Eastern Wyoming from Wheatland to Rawlins was under a high wind warning until Friday, with gusts expected to reach 45 to 50 mph.

But Wills said there is no precipitation in the forecast for foreseeable future.

As the state shook off the impact of the storm, Interstate 80 remained closed Thursday between Cheyenne and Rawlins. Travel was possible from Rawlins to the Utah state line, although the segment of highway across western Wyoming was subject to rolling closures.

Interstate 25, which was closed between Cheyenne and Douglas for most of Wednesday, also opened for travel Thursday.

However, commenters on the “Wyoming Road and Weather Conditions Reports Updates” Facebook page continued to urge drivers to exercise caution in the face of some continuing bad conditions.

One commenter warned of a truck stuck in the wrong lane in a bend in the canyon on Wyoming Highway 230 north of Laramie. Others warned of white-out conditions, poor visibility and icy roads. 

In the 24 hours between noon Wednesday and Thursday, the Wyoming Highway Patrol responded to 22 crashes on I80 and I25, two of those involving injuries, according to Sgt. Jeremy Beck. 

In addition, Beck said that troopers also helped 92 stranded motorists, including semi-trailers and vehicles that were stuck or slid off the road.

Meanwhile, with a video showing a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper nearly being hit by an out-of-control car on an interstate highway fresh in memory, Wyoming Department of Transportation officials urged drivers to be careful, especially around highway workers.

Slick roads and careless drivers posed threats for highway workers during the storm, said Cody Beers, a senior public relations specialist with WYDOT.

“We’re seeing slick roads, and in some cases, people driving too fast for conditions,” he said.

He noted that because it’s been a while since there’s been a big snow event in many parts of the state, drivers can be out of practice for winter road conditions.

“I think anytime we haven’t had snow for a while, we have to retrain our drivers for winter conditions,” Beers said. “They need to realize that there are people out on the roadways that are trying to do their jobs, such as snow plow drivers, highway troopers, deputy sheriffs, local police, emergency responders, and it’s our number one priority out there to be safe.”

Beers praised the crews who are doing their best to clear the highways.

“Our guys are on top of it,” he said. “And they’re working some overtime, and we’re doing our job.”

Beers reminded motorists to be extra cautious.

“The whole idea is to go to work, get home safe, go to your destination, get home safe, get to your appointment safe,” Beers said. “So when it’s snowing and blowing and it’s icy and slippery, we need to slow down and get safely to our destination. It’s just common sense.”

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By Wendy Corr, Ellen Fike and Jennifer Kocher, Cowboy State Daily

An out-of-control vehicle on a Wyoming highway nearly hit a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper on Wednesday as most of the state shivered through cold temperatures and snow left by a winter storm.

The storm forced the closure of sections of both Interstate 80 and 25 and the Wyoming Highway Patrol posted the video on its Facebook page to urge drivers to take care on the sections of the highway that remained open.

“One of our troopers recorded this video while working a crash on the Interstate. Please slow down, use caution, and plan ahead,” the department said.

The storm expected to bring up to 1 foot of snow to some lower elevations of the state stretched from Cody to Cheyenne on Wednesday, bringing with it strong winds that forced the closure of the highways.

The storm came as no surprise for the National Weather Service, whose forecasters had predicted the blast of wintery weather.

“We’re seeing the snowfall amounts that we’ve expected so far,” said Joshua Rowe, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Riverton. “The snow is lingering a bit longer up in Cody, and also in the Wind River Basin, as this cold arctic air has now moved in and hit the Absaroka Mountains and the Wind River Mountains and has gotten stuck up against that.”

Rowe said the snow in the central part of the state had stopped by Wednesday afternoon, for the most part. 

However, before moving on, the storm left about 5 inches of snow in the Cody area.

The storm also left cold temperatures in its wake, with overnight lows expected to fall below zero.

“Since that arctic front has moved south of the Bighorn Basin and the Wind River Basin, it’s kind of stalled out along the Fremont and Sweetwater County line,” Rowe said. “Areas west of that are staying warm for now. They’ll start to drop though, especially overnight.”

The southern portion of the state also got hit with snow throughout Wednesday, with Cheyenne picking up anywhere from 3 to 5 inches by late in the day, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Rob Cox. 

Torrington received around 4 inches of snow, while Wheatland was buried under about 9 inches. 

Cox said another couple of inches would fall before the end of the night Wednesday. 

“People should anticipate the snow to taper off late Wednesday, but it will be back again Thursday morning,” Cox said. 

He said another couple of inches of snow could fall again Thursday, meaning that much of the southern part of the state could be buried in anywhere from 6 inches to 1 foot of snow by noon Thursday. 

The meteorologist added that the wind chill in the Cheyenne area overnight Wednesday would be brutal, dropping to 5 to 20 degrees below zero. 

In his Wednesday forecast, Wyoming meteorologist Don Day said it would be an “arctic surge” over the next 36 hours in Wyoming, making travel dangerous and conditions hazardous for livestock. 

The storm forced the closure of Interstate 80 from Cheyenne to Rawlins and from Granger to Evanston, while Interstate 25 was closed from Cheyenne to Douglas.

As brisk winds continued to push snow across the interstate highways, road users predicted it could be a while before traffic would be moving normally again.

“I think it’s safe to say that all major roads in Wyoming will be closed for the next three days,” one commenter wrote on Wyoming Road and Weather Conditions Reports Updates” Facebook page.

As roads began closing Wednesday morning, reports of accidents along major highways began to surface on Facebook.

Accidents included an incident in which a semi-trailer hit a horse trailer on Interstate 80 east of Rawlins and one in which a Federal Express truck hit the back of a semi near Sinclair.

Others Facebook posts warned of multiple slide offs and stalled semis in the Bridger Valley section of I–80.

Between 1 a.m. Tuesday and 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Wyoming Highway Patrol reported 29 accidents on I80 and four more on 125. Of those, five resulted in injuries, according to WHP Spokesperson Sgt. Jeremy Beck.

Beck said that the storm had initially been centralized in one area and slowly crept across the state with multiple highway and road closures throughout the day. 

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By Jimmy Orr, Cowboy State Daily

It wasn’t just the breaking of high-temperature records, it was the obliteration of the records. Or annihilation. Or perhaps eradication. Decimation would work too, but that’s actually an incorrect usage of the word.

Whatever word or phrase you want to use to describe the heat wave that all but destroyed old high-temperature records in Wyoming on Tuesday, it happened. Simply put, it was hot.

Sheridan tied the highest temperature ever recorded in that town — on any day — by hitting 107 degrees on Tuesday. As for the date of June 15 itself, the previous record was a lukewarm 98 back in 1931.

You know it’s hot when Big Piney — the town known as the “Icebox of the Nation” — tops the 90 degree mark. It did. The icebox notched back-to-back records on Monday and Tuesday with temperatures of 90 and 91, respectively.

Worland topped a 34-year-old record by hitting 106 degrees on Tuesday, erasing the 102 degree record set back in 1987.

Thermopolis hit 104 degrees, which smashed its old record of 98 recorded in 1959.

Buffalo also hit the 104 mark and in doing so broke the old record by 19 degrees. The previous high was only 85 set only a year ago.

Cheyenne’s record high of 92 was impressive in that the old record was set before Wyoming was even a state. Its previous high was 90 and was recorded in 1888.

As for other records, the following communities also set all-time highs on Tuesday:

Laramie
Rawlins
Douglas
Casper
Cody
Lander
Riverton
Rock Springs

Certainly there were other communities that participated in the obliteration as well but these were the towns the weather services reported.

More records are possible this week. The big cool-down will begin on Friday.

In the meantime, try to stay cool, Wyoming. Summer isn’t here for long, so enjoy the heat!

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By Jennifer Kocher, Cowboy State Daily

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.

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By Staff Reports, Rock Springs Rocket Miner

Several Wyoming roads are closed due to winter weather conditions and rolling closures on Wednesday, April 14, and the closures are likely to extend into Thursday, April 15. 

Interstate 80 is closed both directions between Rock Springs and Laramie due to winter conditions. The interstate is also closed westbound between Laramie and Cheyenne due to a rolling closure. The estimated opening time is 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday.

In addition, Wyoming Highway 430 is closed to through traffic between Rock Springs and the Colorado state line due to winter conditions, and the opening time is unknown.

Both I-80 and WH-430 were closed earlier on Wednesday, but reopened for much of the afternoon before closing again in the evening.

A winter weather advisory remains in effect through Thursday afternoon, April 15, for most of central and western Wyoming. The heaviest period of snow is expected to be from late Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning.

Total additional snow accumulations of 1 to 4 inches are possible. Blowing snow will be common as a northeast wind will be gusting 35 to 50 mph across Sweetwater County Wednesday into the night.

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By Jimmy Orr, Cowboy State Daily

If you thought it was warmer than usual this weekend, you aren’t dreaming. 

Record high temperatures were set across the state on Saturday and Sunday and more records could be toppled on Monday as the unseasonable weather for the area continues.

You know it’s a heat wave when Big Piney, Wyoming — frequently known as the icebox of the nation — hits 70 degrees in April, which it did on Sunday.

Normally this time of year, Big Piney averages 44 degrees for the high temperature.

Records also fell in Buffalo, Casper, Cheyenne, Cody, Lander, Laramie, Rawlins, Riverton, and Rock Springs.

Some of the previous record highs had been around for a long, long time too.

Cheyenne’s high of 76 degrees on Sunday broke a 132-year record as the previous high of 72 degrees had stayed on the record books since 1889 — before Wyoming was a state.

The real hot stuff occurred just to the east of Wyoming where Scottsbluff, Nebraska hit 85 degrees. That beat the former high of 81 degrees which was set back in 1942.

As it’s April in Wyoming, these warm temperatures won’t stick around for long.

As Dubois artist Gary Keimig said on Saturday: “We are in what might be called a false Spring.”

Record high temperatures for some areas of Wyoming will likely continue on Monday before a cold front rushes in and brings more typical April-like weather to Wyoming.

Enjoy it while it lasts…

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By Wendy Corr, Cowboy State Daily

It’s dry here.

It may not look it, but much of Wyoming has been declared a primary natural disaster area by the U.S. Department of Agriculture due to continuing drought conditions.

From Goshen County to Carbon, from Albany County to Big Horn, farmers in 19 Wyoming counties have been offered the option to apply for emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency, provided eligibility requirements are met.

Don Day, founder of DayWeather and known as “Wyoming’s Weatherman,” said the trouble began, ironically, around the same time as the pandemic hit.

“Right around this time, last year, March and April, in May, we started to go into what’s called a La Nina,” he said. “And when the Pacific gets colder near the equator, Wyoming and the surrounding region tends to go into drier patterns. But this is the strongest La Nina we’ve seen in 10 to 11 years – and that’s one reason why 2020 started to go dry.”

Day explained that there’s a pattern to the La Nina effect.

“What’s interesting, they’re spaced about every 10 or so years apart,” he said. “We had a similar situation in 2011-2012, and a very similar situation in 1999 to 2001. So there’s cyclical natures to these dry periods.”

David Northrup’s family has farmed in the Powell area for over 100 years, and has seen it all when it comes to weather. And having spent eight years in Wyoming’s House of Representatives, Northrup knows that not everyone understands what farmers in the state go through.

“A lot of the people there are ranching people — and they utilize land in a different way,” he explained. “So that means in the spring, when they’re turning cattle or sheep livestock onto the hillsides, they have to be careful about that and be conscious about that growth.”

But because Wyoming is a rural state, the dry weather pattern will affect more than just agricultural producers. Northrup pointed out that when the grass struggles to grow, people who keep horses for recreational purposes will feel the crunch as well.

“Because even if you got one or two horses sitting in your backyard that you use for recreation, finding hay for them can be just as tough as it is for the guy that’s got five or 600 head of cattle,” he said.

But not every farmer and rancher in the state will be affected by the lack of water from the sky. Northrup pointed out that the canal system devised by Buffalo Bill Cody in the early 1900s has protected Park County agriculture from the worst.

“For us locally here as farmers, we’re pretty well protected,” he said. “Unless we don’t get snow in the mountains — if we don’t get snow in the mountains, then we’re not in a good position.”

Right now the mountain snowpack looks good for this summer, Northrup said.

“We’re over 100% again, which is just a blessing,” he explained, gesturing to the Absaroka and Beartooth mountains. “And you go to the south, and you go down and look at the other side of the Owl Creek mountains, and they are 79%.”

But for the rest of the state, there’s a giant dark blotch on the map that indicates that snowpack is poor, and surface water is inadequate for ranching and farming. That’s despite the big storm that hit much of Wyoming earlier this month. 

Day noted even though the equivalent of up to two inches of rain fell onto the thirsty landscape in some places, because of the ongoing La Nina weather pattern, the drought conditions will most likely continue.

“That has been rather stubborn now going on for better than a year, and the worst ones tend to go two years — and the predictions are right now that at least until early fall, some form of La Nina is going to continue,” Day explained. “And if it does, the spring and summer of 2021, for many parts of the West, may be drier than normal again. So even with this recent, very wet storm for certain parts of the region, it’s not enough to erase the drought.”ge saying if no such plan was developed by mid-2023, the authority would be dissolved.

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By Jimmy Orr, Cowboy State Daily

A Californian driving a Mini Cooper through Sunday’s blizzard caused some major problems in Laramie area when he ventured out on Interstate 80.

A Wyoming State Trooper called Wyoming air personality Glenn Woods’ radio program Monday morning to discuss the impact of the Californian who mistakenly went out on the Interstate to see if the roads were fit for a Mini Cooper.

They weren’t, of course, and the Californian got stuck on the Interstate.

At least two snowplow drivers who were trying to avoid the Mini Cooper got in an accident which halted cleanup activity in the area.

Subsequently all of the snowplows were then stuck on I-80 until the wreckage could be moved from the road which severely impacted all cleanup efforts for miles.

“Because of this one individual, our entire fleet of plow trucks were landlocked,” the trooper said. “This cost thousands of dollars to the truckers and really hampered snow removal efforts.”

But it didn’t stop there. Because this portion of the Interstate was closed, drivers tried to divert away from the closure by going through Laramie itself.

Problem was, the roads were worse inside the city than on the Interstate. 

“These drivers got stranded in drifts all over Grand Avenue,” the trooper said.  

The exasperated trooper said it took more than four hours to clean up the mess created by the Californian. Plus, numerous snow plows — instead of plowing roads — were sidelined during the ordeal.

“If we can keep the plows moving, we stand a better chance of keeping up with the storm,” he said. “Once you gridlock us, we’re done.”

Sadly, the Californian was not arrested but was ticketed and had to pay the cost for the tow back to Laramie.

“When you get those tow bills as a result of these bad decisions, that’s quite a punishment in itself,” the trooper said.

Hopefully there’s a comma in that tow bill.

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By Jimmy Orr, Cowboy State Daily

It’s official, at least in Wyoming’s capital city anyway. This weekend’s snowstorm is a record-breaker.

With 26 inches of snow on Cheyenne by mid-day Sunday, the National Weather Service said the city broke a two-day snow total record beating the past amount of 25.2 inches recorded back in 1979.

The heavy snow prompted closures for all state government offices in Cheyenne on Monday, the University of Wyoming, all schools in Laramie and Natrona counties, as well as city offices in both locations.

“Conditions are brutal out there folks,” Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) officials said. “These heavy winds and snowfall are creating massive drifts on the roads and whiteout conditions.”

It’s so bad, WYDOT said, that immediately after drifts are plowed, they fill up again.

“WYDOT will need rotary plows (typically used to clear WYO 130 of snow in the spring) to clear drifts accumulating on portions of I-80,” they said.

To that end, crews in some areas have suspended operations.

“Due to overwhelming snow and lack of visibility we have decided to suspend our plowing operations in the Casper area. We’ve had several plows drive off the roadway due to limited to zero visibility,” the department said.

Same goes for the City of Casper. If you get stuck, you’re stuck.

“City crews are not available to assist stranded motorists. If you have a true emergency, call 911,” the city announced.

Despite most roads in the affected areas being closed — including all of Interstate 80 and Interstate 25 — the Wyoming Highway Patrol said they were fielding calls from many motorists who were stranded.

Photos shared by the Highway Patrol appeared to show a tow truck trying to rescue another tow truck in very difficult conditions.

“Please stay home and off the roadways,” the patrol said.  “Many roads are impassable, causing dangerous conditions for crews to assist you if you become stranded.”

By mid-afternoon Sunday, power outages were still being reported in affected areas.

At 12:50pm Black Hills Energy reported 4,000 customers in northern Cheyenne and rural areas west of Cheyenne were affected.

“Hazardous road conditions are currently creating challenges for our crews as they work to make repairs and restore service,” the company said in a statement. “We’ll continue our restoration efforts and keep our customers informed through text messages and continual updates to our website, Facebook and Twitter.”

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By Jim Angell, Cowboy State Daily

Most of Wyoming found itself cut off from the rest of the world Sunday as a strong storm meteorologists had predicted for days reached the state, closing highways and shutting off power to some areas.

Much of the state was under a blizzard warning Sunday as the storm dropped more than 37 inches of snow on some areas by Sunday morning.

Brisk winds gusting to 40 mph in Cheyenne and 19 mph in Casper mixed with the snow to reduce visibility to near zero across much of the southeastern half of the state and shut down travel from Rock Springs along Interstate 80 to Cheyenne and from Cheyenne north on Interstate 25 to Buffalo.

A number of state highways running north from the Colorado border to Newcastle and west from Nebraska to Lander were also closed.

Power outages were reported across the state. Rocky Mountain Power reported that more than 1,100 people were without power near Casper, Black Hills Power in Cheyenne reported an outage affecting almost 1,700 and High West Energy said almost 1,000 of its customers in eastern Laramie County lost power.

The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for much of the state, from Cheyenne west to Rawlins and north to Douglas, in the face of the storm expected to continue bringing snow and high winds to the state’s southeastern corner through Monday morning.

Residents were urged to stay off of the highways due to winter conditions, with the Cheyenne Police Department going so far as to issue a “shelter in place” advisory.

Snow accumulations ranged from 10 inches in Casper and 20 inches in Cheyenne to 27 inches in the Laramie foothills and 37 inches on Casper Mountain.

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