High Wind Watch Issued for Albany County, Laramie Area Until Sunday
Wind-prone stretches near the I-80 Summit faced another travel threat as a High Wind Watch covered the Laramie Range and Albany County foothills through 3 p.m. Sunday.
Drivers on Interstate 80 between Cheyenne and Laramie faced another round of dangerous crosswinds as the National Weather Service in Cheyenne kept a High Wind Watch in place for the North Snowy Range Foothills and South Laramie Range through 3 p.m. MDT Sunday. The watch covered parts of Albany County and the Laramie area, with the greatest travel concern centered on the I-80 Summit, where earlier wind warnings had already singled out high-profile vehicles as the most vulnerable.
The weather service said a High Wind Watch means sustained strong winds are possible, and it urged people to secure loose outdoor items and adjust plans so they are not caught outside when conditions worsen. That guidance mattered across the open stretches south and west of Laramie, where gusty winds can turn routine errands or commuter trips into unsafe travel decisions in a matter of hours.
Earlier in April, the weather service had issued high wind warnings for the South Laramie Range and Foothills with west winds of 35 to 45 mph and gusts up to 70 mph. Those alerts pointed to the interstate summit as a corridor where crosswinds could batter semitrailers, campers, empty box trucks and other high-profile vehicles. The agency has also said wind speeds of at least 40 mph, or gusts of 58 mph or stronger, can lead to property damage.
In its area forecast discussion, NWS Cheyenne said a strong cold front and a potent upper trough were expected to drive high winds across southeast Wyoming, including the Laramie Range and nearby lower elevations. The office said winds were already a concern in wind-prone locations including Arlington, Bordeaux, Cheyenne and the I-80 Summit, underscoring how quickly the hazard could spread beyond the highest ridgelines.
The repeated alerts also kept North Snowy Range Foothills and South Laramie Range in the weather service’s hazardous weather outlook coverage as recently as April 8. That pattern points to a familiar spring setup in southeast Wyoming: a watch may start as a precaution, but in a region built around exposed highways and long open stretches, it can become a same-day travel problem fast if winds strengthen toward warning levels.
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