Storm system could bring wet, wintry, windy weather to Albany County

A storm system moving into southeast Wyoming threatened to turn Sunday afternoon and evening into a rough stretch for Albany County drivers, ranchers and anyone with outdoor plans, with County 5 warning of wet, wintry, windy and thundery weather.

The timing mattered most for Laramie, Rock River and Centennial, where a calm morning could quickly give way to slick roads and sharply lower visibility on exposed stretches. County 5’s warning pointed to the kind of mixed setup that can catch people off guard in late spring, when rain can flip to snow or hail and strong wind can become the bigger hazard on open highways than the precipitation itself.

That concern lined up with the National Weather Service office in Cheyenne, which serves southeast Wyoming and the western Nebraska Panhandle, including Albany County. Its wind guidance highlights some of the most exposed trouble spots in the region, including Interstate 80 at Arlington and Buford and Interstate 25 at Bordeaux and Wyo Hill. For commuters, that meant the safest window for travel was before the storm tightened up later in the day.

WYDOT’s 511 service was the tool to watch before leaving town. The system posts road surface conditions, current advisories, closures, current weather and short-term forecasts up to six hours ahead, which made it especially useful for people heading across Albany County on rural roads or planning weekend trips toward the Snowy Range.

The weather pattern was not just a nuisance. The National Weather Service’s spring freeze statistics show the 10th-percentile last freeze date for Cheyenne is April 30, a reminder that damaging cold can linger well into May. By the end of the storm period, the valleys of Albany and Carbon counties were under a Freeze Warning, underscoring how fast late-spring weather can swing back toward hard freezes.

The warning also proved justified. On May 18, Centennial residents reported more than 24 inches of snow, and meteorologist Don Day said there were reports of more than 30 inches in the Snowy Range and more than two inches of water over the previous 48 hours. Cheyenne picked up about an inch of rain over the previous 24 hours, while statewide impacts included an Interstate 80 closure and thousands of power outages.

For Albany County, the practical takeaway was simple: finish errands early, check road conditions before heading toward the plains or the mountains, and do not assume a bright morning would hold through Sunday afternoon.