When Wyoming Has Had Hurricane Like Weather

The state of Wyoming has never experienced a Hurricane. But we know what it is like to be in a mild one-sort of. The argument can be made that all of the same conditions happen here more often than they do in Southern states.

According to the National Weather Service "A hurricane force wind warning is a warning issued by the National Weather Service of the United States when sustained winds or frequent gusts of 64 knots (118 km/h, 74 mph) or greater are either being observed or are predicted to occur."

Wyoming sees winds like that on a typical fall, winter, or spring day. It's quite typical to see semi-trucks tipped over on Wyoming highways due to hurricane force winds.

Heavy rains and tidal surges both bring severe flooding during any hurricane. Tidal surge is considered the most damaging event of the storm.

While Wyoming cannot experience tidal surges, flooding and surges of water, even for a dry state like ours, is typical. Spring time can be the worst if we had a good mountain snow pack in the winter. What melts and washes down can put a small town under water in minutes. 

So Wyoming residents actually may know, to some degree, what being in a mild hurricane is like.