Cheyenne Weather Service Warns of Possible Power Outages
The National Weather Service Office in Cheyenne has issued the following warnings in regard to a spring storm that is bearing down on southeast Wyoming:
Southeast Wyoming:
- Periods of rain showers and thunderstorms are expected through Wednesday afternoon. Colder air will move into the area Wednesday evening, resulting in the snow level lowering between 6500 to 7500 feet Wednesday night.
- Moderate to high confidence for travel impacts over 7500 feet due to snow and drifting snow. This includes the Snowy Range, the Interstate 80 summit west of Cheyenne, the northern Laramie Range, and the Elk Mountain and Arlington area along I-80 between Rawlins and Laramie (see graphic). There is potential for over 12 inches in these areas with 4 to 8 inches in the Arlington area. A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for these areas.
- Low confidence for travel impacts below 7000 feet. This will greatly depend on the timing of the change-over to snow across the lower elevations along with when the heaviest snow falls (i.e. greater impacts if the heavier snow occurs at night). Many variables come into play for snow accumulations across the lower elevations this time of the year. Little or no snow accumulation expected below 5000 feet.
- Potential Power Outages. There is some concern with the weight of any heavy snow combined with the spring foliage peaking around this time that isolated power outages may occur, mainly over Laramie, Albany, and eastern Carbon counties. Winds will not be very strong, but they will not be light either with gusts around 30 mph possible.