Powerful Windstorm Batters Albany County With Hurricane-Force Gusts

A ferocious windstorm tore through southeast Wyoming on March 12 and 13, producing gusts that rivaled a Category 1 hurricane and leaving Albany County residents dealing with power outages and localized evacuations in its wake.

Reports from the immediate aftermath documented gusts as high as 109 mph near Chugwater, surpassing the National Weather Service's own pre-storm warnings, which had forecast winds hitting 90 mph in wind-prone areas and possibly reaching 100 mph in the Laramie Range. The NWS Cheyenne office, which had been tracking the storm closely, warned that Cheyenne could see hurricane-force winds while Laramie winds could reach the upper 60s mph.

Laramie, the Albany County seat, bore a significant portion of the storm's impact. The city recorded major gusts alongside the broader county, which also reported localized evacuations. A forecast for Laramie ahead of the storm's peak showed west-northwest winds of 25 to 30 mph with gusts as high as 45 mph, with wind chill values bottoming out between zero and 10 degrees on what was otherwise a sunny day with a high near 30.

The NWS Cheyenne office characterized the event as a prolonged high wind occurrence across southeast Wyoming and adjacent areas, projecting maximum wind gusts for the region by March 14. Among the forecast gust values in agency maps: Arlington at 56 mph, Bordeaux at 70 mph, and Laramie at 69 mph or higher. The agency was explicit about the danger to drivers, warning that strong crosswinds would be "hazardous to light weight high profile vehicles, including campers and tractor trailers," with a high risk of vehicle blow-overs.

Windy conditions were expected to persist through Saturday evening, with forecasters noting breezy to windy conditions continuing across eastern Wyoming and into the Nebraska panhandle through the end of the week. The extended forecast for the region called for snow showers over the weekend before temperatures rebounded toward the low 70s by Tuesday.

The full scope of damage in Albany County, including the number of customers who lost power and the specific areas that required evacuations, had not been fully detailed in early reports. Albany County Emergency Management, utility providers, and the Wyoming Department of Transportation had not yet released comprehensive damage assessments as of Friday morning.