textproduct: Cheyenne

KEY MESSAGES

- High Wind Warnings are in effect for the usual wind prone areas of southeast Wyoming today through Tuesday evening. Central Laramie County and the Laramie Valley are also in a High Wind Warning Tuesday.

- Dangerous fire conditions expected Tuesday afternoon with low humidity and very strong winds.

- A Fire Weather Watch is in effect for all areas along and east of the Laramie Range Wednesday morning through Saturday evening.

- Record breaking warm temperatures are expected across the entire area during the second half of the week.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 1234 AM MDT Tue Mar 17 2026

Tuesday will be the most "active" day through the week, with high winds expected in the wind prone areas as well as the Laramie Valley and Central Laramie County. The upper-level ridge over the far southwestern CONUS will continue to build throughout the day, leading to warming temperatures across the CWA and drying conditions. Northwesterly 700mb flow will continue today, with height gradients elevated across the Laramie Range due to a subtle shortwave trough moving through. Surface pressure gradients will be elevated as well, leading to favorable conditions for very gusty winds across the region. With Craig to Casper gradients in the 60s and 70s, high winds are expected to continue near Arlington and Elk Mountain through midnight tonight when 700mb flow starts to subside as the ridge moves closer to the region. In-house random forest guidance suggests 80% probability of high winds at Arlington, 65% at Bordeaux, 75% near the I-80 Summit, and about 25% for Cheyenne and Laramie. Therefore, the High Wind Warning will continue for these locations through the afternoon and evening hours. Temperatures will start the strong warming trend this afternoon, with highs expected to be in the upper-50s to mid-70s as 700mb temperatures warm into the 3 to 5C range. With very warm temperatures and continued downslope flow, fire danger is increasing for this afternoon through the rest of the week. The Red Flag Warning remains in effect and has been expanded northward for this afternoon as afternoon humidities are expected to be lower than anticipated.

Wednesday onwards will be dominated by the upper-level ridge meandering very slowly to the east. The apex of the ridge is expected to only be over Arizona by Saturday, leading to a very warm week in store. Temperatures will continue to warm across the area with very dry conditions anticipated. Fire Weather Watches have been hoisted for many locations and will likely be upgraded after Tuesday's Red Flag Warning expires. Overall, expect temperatures in the 60s to 80s through the week with mostly clear skies.

LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/

Issued at 1234 AM MDT Tue Mar 17 2026

No major change. Record temperatures and critical fire conditions expected through the week. Please see previous discussion for more details...

Wednesday, The high winds will be dieing down over the course of the morning but it will still be pretty windy throughout the day. The Upper level ridge will be pushing through the Intermountain West. This ridge will be responsible for killing our high wind chances for the rest of the week as it redirects the jetstream and the 700mb jet northward. However, this ridge is pretty stout and will advect warm dry air from the desert southwest into the Intermountain West. This advection of dry air will cause our dewpoints to dive into the teens while the Surface temperatures climb into the 70's and 80's. This will cause the RH values to plummet as well since the amount of available moisture will be depleted. The dry environment coupled with some breezy winds will cripple the agricultural sector as Fire weather consumes our region. A multi-day Fire weather watch has been issued for all areas east of the I-25 corridor to include towns in the corridor like Cheyenne, Chugwater, and Wheatland. This will likely be upgraded in the near future for a multi-day Red Flag Warning. This weekend another system could impact the Intermountain West but, each global model hasn't come to an agreement as to whether or not this system will be strong enough to flatten our ridge or if the ridge will be immovable and the upper level low will just move up and other our ridge. If the ridge flattens then we could see some precipitation possibly reach the ground but, if it doesn't move then we will remain dry and arid.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 506 AM MDT Tue Mar 17 2026

Another breezy day is expected across all terminals, with the strongest winds expected at KCYS and KLAR, where gusts in excess of 50kts will be possible. Winds remain largely westerly throughout the day with lower cloud decks eroding through the morning hours. VFR conditions expected for the TAF period, with mostly clear skies returning this afternoon.

CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

WY...Fire Weather Watch from Wednesday morning through Saturday evening for WYZ417>419-430>433. Red Flag Warning from 10 AM this morning to 8 PM MDT this evening for WYZ430>433. High Wind Warning until 6 PM MDT this evening for WYZ106. High Wind Warning until midnight MDT tonight for WYZ110-116- 117. High Wind Warning until 6 PM MDT this evening for WYZ115-118. NE...Fire Weather Watch from Wednesday morning through Saturday evening for NEZ434>437. Red Flag Warning from 10 AM this morning to 8 PM MDT this evening for NEZ436-437.