textproduct: Cheyenne

KEY MESSAGES

- Light snow showers will continue through Friday morning with a reinforcing shot of cold air keeping high temperatures below average.

- Marginal high winds possible in the wind prone areas of southeast Wyoming late Friday night and through the day Saturday. High Wind Watches have been issued.

- Warmer temperatures and mostly benign conditions expected Sunday through middle of next week.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 338 AM MST Fri Jan 9 2026

Light snow showers continue early this morning per radar and ground observations as a secondary trough pushes into the area. These snow showers will linger into the morning hours on Friday, but will likely dissipate by the afternoon. Additional accumulations are expected to be minimal, with no more than a dusting forecast. This secondary upper-level trough will bring a reinforcing shot of cold air to the region with 700 mb temperatures dropping to -16C. High temperatures will be below average, with most cities in southeast Wyoming struggling to reach freezing. The Nebraska panhandle will be slightly warmer, with highs in the 30s. Behind this secondary shot of cold air, winds will be quite blustery. Gusty northerly winds will add to the chill in the air, with wind chills throughout the day ranging from the single digits to 20s. Clouds will also clear out this afternoon with the sun making an appearance, however, it will do little to help with temperatures.

By Friday night, a strong surface high will build over western Colorado. This will cause MSLP gradients to steepen along and west of the Laramie Range and increase 850 mb CAG to CPR height gradients. Winds aloft will respond, increasing just up to 50 kts. Subsidence with this event looks rather unimpressive, making this more of a gradient-driven event. In-house guidance is confident in the Arlington area hitting high winds late Friday night and into the day Saturday, but marginal for the other wind prone areas of Southeast Wyoming. As a result, went ahead and issued High Wind Watches for Arlington, Bordeaux, and the South Laramie Range and foothills, as high winds could be possible.

High winds will continue into the day Saturday as gradients remain consistent. Winds will likely ease late in the afternoon/earlier in the evening as winds aloft turn a bit more northwesterly, which is unfavorable for high winds. Besides wind, a dry day is expected Saturday as upper-level ridging moves into western CONUS. Subsidence under the ridge will keep precipitation away while also leading to warmer temperatures. High temperatures on Saturday will warm up to roughly average for this time of year, with highs in the 30s and 40s.

LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/

Issued at 230 PM MST Thu Jan 8 2026

The long term will be characterized as mostly benign. Dry and above average temperatures are set to return by Sunday and persist through the forecast period. The only day of interest will be Saturday with another round of breezy to windy conditions across the ranges and the foothills.

Saturday models show the upper level ridge to be pushing in over the PacNW with the leading edge bringing northwest flow aloft. Models show a weak upper level 700 mb jet setting up over the Laramie Range with 41-48 kts and negative omega signaling downsloping. Winds will not be a strong as days passed, but there is enough forcing that the winds at the surface will see an increase. 70-80% of the raw ensembles show wind gusts nearing 50 mph along portions of the with the Cheyenne Ridge and foothills of the Laramie Range seeing 50-70% probabilities of gusts to 50 mph as well. However, Cheyenne proper looks to be out of the running for winds that high and more like 80% probabilities of gusts of 35-40 mph. Elsewhere east of Laramie Range will also see 80% probabilities of gusts to near 40, while west of the range will 80% probabilities of 25-30 mph gusts.

With the leading edge of the ridge overhead Saturday, cooler temperatures will continue to linger. In-house guidance is showing eastern portions of the CWA seeing temperatures 1-2 degrees below normal along the lower elevations. However, the higher elevations will see temperatures roughly 15 degrees below normal. East of the Laramie Range, temperatures will average 4-8 degrees above normal still. 90% of the raw ensembles show temperatures Saturday to be below 45 degrees to the east of the Laramie Range and below 35 to the west of the range. As we move into Sunday, models show the ridge to continue building into the region allowing for continued dry conditions and slightly warmer temperatures. In-house guidance again shows temperatures to be above normal with most locations seeing upwards of 10-20 above normal. This will continue to be the case through the period. Sunday, 80-90% of the raw ensembles are in agreement that the eastern portion of the CWA will see temperatures between 50-55 degrees and the east will see temperatures at or below 42 degrees. Models and ensembles both show temperatures to hover around the 50s through the week on the east and between 40-45 degrees to the west (70-80% confidence).

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 1000 AM MST Fri Jan 9 2026

VFR conditions will persist through the forecast period. BFF is reporting snow, however CIGs and VSBY is still VFR. This is expected to last a short time through only 20Z (30% confidence on timing). Winds are per usually the primary concern through the period with all sites seeing winds over 10 kts and gusts between 25-30 kts. Winds are expected to remain elevated over 12 kts through the period (80%+ confidence).

CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

WY...High Wind Watch from this evening through Saturday evening for WYZ106. High Wind Watch from this evening through Saturday afternoon for WYZ110. High Wind Watch from late tonight through Saturday evening for WYZ116-117. NE...None.