textproduct: Cheyenne

KEY MESSAGES

- Strong to marginally high winds are possible for the wind prone areas of southeast Wyoming tonight through Friday night. Wind gusts may not be consistent through the entire period with occasional breaks and lulls likely.

- Snow showers will return to the mountains and adjacent valleys Friday night, spreading into portions of the High Plains Saturday night.

- A strong cold front Saturday night will bring more winter-like temperatures back to the area for Sunday.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 255 PM MST Fri Dec 26 2025

The 700mb jet is still going strong along our wind prones. The high wind warning for the Bordeaux area was reissued as after a brief lull parts of I-25 between wheatland and CHugwater started gusting between 58 and 61 mph again. Following the subsident flow depicted by the GFS omega field, both high wind warnings are now set to expire at 09z or 2am. By then both the subsident flow and 700mb jet should be weak enough that the boundary layer starts to disconnect and the wind gusts should drop below 58 mph. However, the winds will still be breezy over I-25 but just no longer meeting high wind criteria. Tonight, the first cold front comes through the Intermountain West. This cold front will be the initial push to start rain and snow production in Carbon county between 0z and 06z. Right now the cold front is pushing through the western edge of Wyoming as the Tetons and Wyoming range look to be currently getting snow. Southwesterly flow will persist throughout the day Saturday at both the 700mb and surface level, leading to ample upslope flow along the Sierra Madre Range. NAEFS Mean IVT is progged to be above the 90th percentile for this time of year, suggesting ample moisture in the region as well. Finally, 700mb temperatures tank into the -8 to -6C range Saturday morning into the afternoon hours. Combined with moist, southwesterly flow throughout the day, these cold temperatures should keep the majority of the precipitation as snow for the Sierra Madres. Current thinking is that the Sierra Madre Range will see anywhere between 16 and 20 inches of snow between 06Z Saturday and 18Z Sunday. The winter storm warning for the Sierra Madre mountains were kept as over 20 inches of snow is still possible in the highest peaks. While the Snowy Range will be shadowed for a good portion of this event, due to the southwesterly flow, the arctic front is progged to push into the area between 18 and 21Z Saturday. Winds will switch around to a more northerly flow which is a more favorable direction for the Snowy Range. Current forecast for the Snowy Range is 10 to 12 inches, though the highest peaks could see 12 to 15 inches. Due to the Snowy Range being shadowed for most of the event A winter weather advisory was kept as snow rates and impacts look more to be in the Advisory level instead of meeting the warning criteria. Advisories were also maintained for the Southwestern corner of Carbon County and Saratoga valley as they could see between 3 to 6 inches with some slightly higher totals closer to the mountains. The winds will be a little breezy causing some visibility reductions from falling and blowing snow. Sunday, As the upper level trough pushes through into the Northern Plains some leeward cyclogenesis looks to be produced off the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. This Denver cyclone will help increase the synoptic forcing for areas along and east of I-25. Due to the increase synoptic forcing snows totals between 0.5 to an inch can almost be expected along I-80 and the Nebraska Panhandle. Some isolated area may see about 1 to 2 inches Sunday morning. Snow fall should start to taper off after 12z or 5am Sunday with the showers expected to be done by 18z or 11am. Due to the Arctic airmass descending down behind the Arctic front, high temperatures in the low to mid 20's can be expected Sunday with overnight temperatures in the teens and single digits Saturday and Sunday night.

LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/

Issued at 255 PM MST Fri Dec 26 2025

Long term will remain mostly benign as we see high pressure ridging taking back control and quieting conditions through much of the week, but towards the tail end of the period we should see a breakdown of this ridge leading to more active conditions.

Overall the weather should be rather benign Monday through Wednesday thanks to the lack of significant features as the CWA remains between major systems. A ridge of high pressure will dominate most of the Western US while stronger troughing lies north and east of the region. With pressure gradients weak, we should see no major wind events for once, a lack of precipitation, and temperatures on the rise under the high with a chilly start to Monday morning as lows reach the teens to single digits, but by Wednesday highs will be back into the 40's and 50's. Then on Thursday the ridge will begin breaking down thanks to a shortwave moving in from the Pacific, allowing cooler temperatures to creep back in and some light precipitation to overspread the mountains. While still not a major event with limited QPF and highs only dropping into the 40's, it will still be a breakdown of the pattern, allowing a change to our weather as we move into next weekend.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 1030 PM MST Fri Dec 26 2025

A cold front will push through the region tonight into tomorrow morning, bringing along with it lower CIGs and VIS in associated light snow. Expect MVFR to IFR, possibly lower if a passing snow shower becomes heavy, conditions with the FROPA. In addition, this front will bring gusty winds at varying times in magnitude for this TAF period. The strongest gusts, generally 25-35 knots, will impact KRWL, KLAR, and KCYS for most of this forecast. However, the Nebraska terminals will get into the action a bit later in this TAF period, sometime after 02Z Sunday.

CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

WY...High Wind Warning until 2 AM MST Saturday for WYZ106-110. Winter Weather Advisory until midnight MST Saturday night for WYZ110-111-113-114. Winter Storm Warning until 5 AM MST Sunday for WYZ112. NE...None.