textproduct: Cheyenne

KEY MESSAGES

- Red Flag Warnings are in effect from 11 AM to 8 PM Friday for portions of southeast Wyoming west of Interstate 25, including much of Carbon and Albany Counties for gusty winds and low humidity.

- Hot temperatures return Friday through Sunday with slightly cooler temperatures Monday through next Wednesday.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/

Issued at 1212 AM MDT Fri Aug 7 2026

Friday will be a pleasant day across the region as we sit firmly under a ridge of high pressure that is building in from the Desert Southwest, like a former co-worker would always say in synoptic set- up like this, 'big bubble, no trouble'. The aforementioned ridge will keep us under west northwest flow and dry through the day Friday into the overnight hours. As we sit in the northeast quadrant, which plays a part in what to expect in the short term with regards to elevated to critical fire weather concerns, especially in Albany and Carbon Counties. This orientation is not be favorable for a monsoonal push of moisture, so we will remain dry through this forecast period. Minimum RH values tank over the next day down to between 5 and 10 percent. Winds are not what we look for, but they will become slightly elevated through the daytime hours and with how dry it has been and how dry it will be, Red Flag Warnings remain in effect across Albany and Carbon Counties, due in part to poor overnight recoveries as well. Elsewhere across the CWA, no Red Flag Warnings are anticipated at this time since they will stay below critical thresholds that we look for with regards to issuing Red Flag Warnings.

Onto other news, said ridge will continue to keep it hot, which is depicted with 700MB temperatures surging up into the 16-20 degrees C range by Friday afternoon. This will be reflected nicely at the surface with highs topping out in the low to mid 90s for many locations across the region. Slightly cooler west of the I-25 corridor where highs will top out in and around 90 degrees F. Taking a brief look at winds over the next 24 hours, not much to write home about there either as no high wind events are in the foreseeable future.

LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/

Issued at 330 PM MDT Thu Aug 6 2026

The highlight of the long term forecast period will be a slow transition back out of the hot and dry weather pattern back into more seasonal temperatures and occasional rainfall chances. Another weekend heat wave is on tap for Saturday and Sunday. For the fifth consecutive weekend, a broad upper level ridge aloft will support above average temperatures across our area. 700-mb temperatures around +16C to +20C are not quite as extreme as the last two weekend heatwaves, but still sufficiently high for continued near record heat. Expect highs both days in the lower 90s for Laramie, Rawlins, and Saratoga, and then mid 90s to lower 100s over the High Plains. Currently, record highs are only forecast at Laramie and Cheyenne, but all locations will be within 1 to 3 degrees of daily record highs. This heat wave does not look as likely to challenge all-time or monthly records, but we will certainly be hot. The chance for storms looks very limited on Saturday, but we will finally start to see precipitable water return to near average on Sunday. The upper level ridge will start to weaken and slowly nudge eastward, allowing monsoon moisture to fill to the north once again. We may see a few showers or thunderstorms creeping into our southern mountains by Sunday, but this will probably still be quite limited. While the probability for rainfall will be low, forecast soundings favorable for dry microbursts, so gusty winds may be the initial concern as moisture tries to return to the area.

Ensembles show precipitable water continuing to gradually improve through the week ahead as monsoon moisture expands to the north once again. Coverage will probably be fairly limited early in the week, but look for higher chances for precipitation towards the middle to later part of the work week. While we are still a ways out for details, this doesn't really look like a pure monsoon pattern. A few intrusions of shortwave troughs to our north may keep vertical wind shear high enough to get a few strong to severe thunderstorms. As moisture mixes through the boundary layer, we should also ease the fire weather concerns as humidity climbs.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 1121 AM MDT Fri Aug 7 2026

VFR conditions continue through the next 24 hours with minimal to no cloud cover expected. Winds have been increasing this morning, and gusts of 20 to 25kts are expected at all sites through this evening. Wind gusts will relax after sunset for Wyoming sites, but gusts 15 to 20kts will continue across Nebraska through most of the overnight hours. Smoke will also be notable into Saturday. Visibilities should remain above 6sm, but some glide path visibility may be reduced briefly around sunset tonight.

CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

WY...Air Quality Alert until noon MDT Monday for WYZ101>119. Red Flag Warning until 8 PM MDT this evening for WYZ420>422- 425>427. NE...None.