textproduct: Cheyenne

KEY MESSAGES

- A Red Flag Warning is in effect for all areas along and east of Interstate 25 through 10 PM Wednesday.

- High Wind Warnings remain in effect for the typical wind prone regions of southeast Wyoming through 3 PM Wednesday.

- Fire weather concerns continue through the end of the work week with dry conditions and minimal chances of precipitation.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 202 AM MDT Wed Jun 17 2026

A cold front will sag south across the CWA over the next several hours, bringing cooler air along with tighter surface gradients. This coupled with a modest low-level jet up around 60 knots and enough subsidence, negative Omega (GFS), will bring these winds down to the surface. Therefore, the strongest winds are expected in our known wind prones across southeast Wyoming now through this afternoon. Hence, the High Wind Warnings that were issued yesterday remain in effect until 3pm this afternoon. The apex of this event will be a bit later this morning with possible gusts up to 70 mph, this is in agreement with our in-house guidance that suggests a 50- 60 percent chance of high winds, mainly for the windier location along I-25 and I-80. Current surface observations are showing winds picking up along I-25 north of Cheyenne and I-80 west of the Laramie Range. As the aforementioned cold front sags south, precipitation chances will be a meager with ample dry air in place at the lower levels, with northern portions of the Nebraska Panhandle having the best chances, albeit slim, of seeing precipitation. There may be enough instability to produce lightning, of which will be dry, and may exacerbate the ongoing fire weather concerns across the region. With this said, we will continue the Red Flag Warning that has been out for many locations east of I-25 until 10pm this evening primarily for winds and ongoing dry fuels. Elsewhere, winds across our northern zones, including the Nebraska Panhandle, will be exceptionally strong this afternoon with a strengthening low-level jet over the area, this will lead to wind gusts up to 50 mph. This is short-lived as winds will quickly die down this afternoon/evening, leading to a relatively quiet overnight. Heading into Thursday, not much to talk about as we will get a reprieve from winds and fire weather as weak ridging builds in from the south. With the passage of the cold front later this morning, cooler highs are forecast today and Thursday, with highs only topping out into the low to mid 80s for many locations across the CWA.

LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/

Issued at 202 AM MDT Wed Jun 17 2026

Ridging will push into Friday, continuing to bring sunny skies and highs that will soar a few degrees warmer, as much as 10 degrees warmer then Thursday for many locations. Due to the ongoing dry conditions, elevated fire weather concerns will make a return Friday, though winds will be calmer. A disorganized trough pushes east just to our west, bringing the best chances of precipitation for Saturday. With southeast flow at the surface, moisture will surge in and be sufficient enough to bring increased chances of precipitation and the threat of thunderstorms, with the greatest threat of severe weather across the Nebraska Panhandle. Instability parameters, right now, are sufficient enough to support possible supercell activity along with large hail. This may not be the only concern for Saturday, but the flooding risk is elevated with high pwat values and slow storm motion. Therefore, WPC has a marginal risk for excessive rainfall across northeastern portions of our CWA, stay tuned to the forecast for future updates. The weather pattern into next week looks to be relatively active with models showing ample moisture and instability across our CWA to keep precipitation and storm chances around through at least mid-week next week.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY/

Issued at 1133 PM MDT Tue Jun 16 2026

VFR conditions expected for the forecast period. The main aviation hazard will be strong winds. Overnight, look for significant LLWS especially at terminals along the I-80 corridor. Surface winds gusts will be intermittent (except RWL where winds will be fairly steady) and may produce sudden changes in wind speed at CYS, LAR, and SNY.

Winds will shift more northwest during the early morning hours as a boundary moves through the area, but expect consistently strong winds at all terminals from mid morning onward. Gusts of 35 to 45 knots are expected in Wyoming and at CDR, with gusts of 30 to 40 knots at BFF, AIA, and SNY. Winds will shift north to slightly northeast Wednesday evening, and then finally die off towards the end of the TAF period.

CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

WY...Red Flag Warning until 10 PM MDT this evening for WYZ417-418- 430>433. High Wind Warning until 9 AM MDT this morning for WYZ106. High Wind Warning until noon MDT today for WYZ110. High Wind Warning until 3 PM MDT this afternoon for WYZ116-117. NE...Red Flag Warning until 10 PM MDT this evening for NEZ434>437.