textproduct: Cheyenne

KEY MESSAGES

- Cold Weather Advisories and Extreme Cold Warnings continue through the morning hours, ending between 5 and 8 AM.

- High Wind Warnings remain in effect and have been expanded to include central Laramie County and the Laramie Valley.

- Warmer, drier conditions return this week.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 116 AM MST Mon Jan 26 2026

Very cold temperatures are ongoing tonight behind an arctic front that passed through Sunday. Temperatures in the Panhandle are currently in the -15 to -5F range, with Scottsbluff as the coldest point as of 08Z tonight, sitting at -16F. Across southeast Wyoming, temperatures are anywhere from -15F to 8F in the warmer locations. Unfortunately, winds are non-zero, leading to current wind chill temperatures anywhere from -40 to -20F across much of the region. Cold Weather Advisories and Extreme Cold Warnings will remain in effect through the morning hours, ending between 5AM and 8AM. Until then, bitter cold temperatures will continue with clear skies further exacerbating the cold.

For today, upper-level flow will remain mostly northwesterly with a slow transition towards westerly overnight tonight into the early morning hours Tuesday ahead of a shortwave approaching the region from the northwest. Further down at 700mb a low will move southeast across central and southern Canada into the northern CONUS near Minnesota and Wisconsin. A strong jet is expected to develop with this low, with strong 700mb winds from the CWA northeastward into North Dakota and Minnesota. This low will traverse just close enough to the CWA to increase 700mb height gradients and produce a secondary jet streak across the Laramie Range and points west and east. As these winds kick up, the GFS omega fields suggests stronger downward motion developing, leading to very strong winds in the typical wind prone locations of southeast Wyoming, as well as the Laramie Valley and central Laramie County. Craig to Casper height gradients are expected to be in the upper-80s to low-90s, leading to increased confidence for very strong winds near the Arlington/Elk Mountain wind prone zone, where a gust over 80mph cannot be completely ruled out. Additionally, surface pressure gradients skyrocket later this morning into the afternoon hour. A gradient of 4 to 6mb is expected across the Arlington wind prone zone, with surface pressure gradients around 4 to 5mb across the Laramie Range near the Bordeaux wind prone zone and 2 to 3mb near the I-80 Summit. The High Wind Warnings for the typical wind prones will remain in effect through early Tuesday morning. Additionally, expanded the High Wind Warning to include the Laramie Valley and central Laramie County. Confidence is lower in these zones as the 700mb flow is a bit weaker than is expected across the wind prone, but ample downward omega values should promote downward acceleration of the winds. Gusts between 60 and 65 mph will be possible in these two zones through the late morning and evening hours. These zones should see decreasing winds by 00Z this evening. Expect temperatures this afternoon to increase back into the 30s and low-40s as downslope warming takes over the region with the strong winds.

The shortwave pushing into the CWA early Tuesday morning throughout the day should be fairly dry, leading to no precipitation with this system. Behind this system a strong upper-level ridge is developing and will move into the Intermountain West. As a result, warming temperatures and dry conditions are expected to return to the region. Elevated winds look likely during the day Tuesday as 700mb height gradients remain elevated. High winds do not look likely for Tuesday afternoon at this time. Temperatures will increase back into the 30s and 40s for much of the area.

LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/

Issued at 116 AM MST Mon Jan 26 2026

No major changes, see previous discussion below.

At the start of the long term period, the synoptic pattern is dominated by a ridge up the West Coast and a deep trough across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region. As we progress through the forecast period, the ridge slides into our CWA while the trough pushes ever so slightly to the east. So, expect a relatively benign week. An embedded shortwave dives south into our area Wednesday, which may bring an uptick in surface winds, especially in our wind prones across southeast Wyoming. However, most locations will remain below the high wind threshold with Arlington having the best chance with probabilities between 60-80%. Thereafter, ridging quickly builds back in and controls weather conditions across the region to round out the extended. With dry conditions, what about temperatures, will any additional cold surges make into our CWA? Well, the wintertime temperatures that we had this weekend will be a distant memory by Tuesday with temperatures soaring back to near or just above normal. Progressing through the work week, 700mb temps warm into next weekend as highs will soar into the mid 40s to mid 50s across the CWA. But first, at the start of this forecast period highs are expected to top out in the mid 30s west of I-25 and low to mid 40s east of the corridor, highs increasing ever so slightly through the work week. Low temps will reflect a similar pattern, increasing nightly, with Tuesday night lows dipping into the teens and by next weekend, only bottoming out in the low to mid 20s.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z TUESDAY/

Issued at 402 AM MST Mon Jan 26 2026

VFR conditions expected through the 12Z TAF period. Clear skies overnight wil continue throughout the day. Gusty winds are starting to develop at KRWL, KLAR, and KCYS, and will continue through the day. Low-level wind shear is possible early this morning, especially across the Panhandle where surface winds are lighter. Low-level wind shear dissipates by 16 to 18Z.

CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

WY...Extreme Cold Warning until 8 AM MST this morning for WYZ115. Cold Weather Advisory until 8 AM MST this morning for WYZ102- 105-109-111-113. Cold Weather Advisory until 5 AM MST early this morning for WYZ101-106>108-110-116>119. High Wind Warning until 5 AM MST Tuesday for WYZ106-116-117. High Wind Warning until 2 AM MST Tuesday for WYZ110. High Wind Warning from 8 AM this morning to 5 PM MST this afternoon for WYZ115-118. NE...Extreme Cold Warning until 8 AM MST this morning for NEZ002- 003-095. Cold Weather Advisory until 8 AM MST this morning for NEZ019>021-054-055-096.