Eastern Wyoming Endured 67 High Wind Warnings in 2022
Written by Andrew-Rossi on January 4, 2023
Wyoming could be the windiest state, judging by the number of High Wind Warnings issued in eastern Wyoming last year – especially when compared to the rest of the United States.
The National Weather Service Office in Cheyenne released intriguing information about Wyoming high wind warnings. So, if you feel Wyoming’s been getting windier over the last few years, you might be right,
Five N.W.S. offices cover parts of Wyoming. The Cheyenne and Riverton offices cover most of the state, but the Billings, Rapid City, and Salt Lake City offices collectively cover five of Wyoming’s 23 counties.
The first graphic shows how 2022 compares to nearly two decades based on how many High Wind Warnings we issued by the N.W.S. Cheyenne office, which covers most of eastern Wyoming a part of Nebraska.
Courtesy N.W.S. Office Cheyenne
In 2022, the Cheyenne Office issued 67 High Wind Warnings – tied for the most amount of High Wind Warnings issued in a single year by the office.
Ironically, the last highest number was recorded in 2021.
Years and conditions change, but the graph shows a steady increase in the number of wind warnings: 55 in 2020, 49 in 2019, 52 in 2018, and 45 in 2017. In the last 18 years, the lowest number of high wind warnings was 10 in 2005.
The second graphic shows how many High Wind Warnings other N.W.S. offices have issued in 2022.
Courtesy N.W.S. Cheyenne
Amazingly, the N.W.S. Office in Cheyenne issued more High Wind Warnings than any other office in the nation in 2022.
The not-even-close runner-up was the El Paso Office in southern Texas, with 52 warnings.
Based on these metrics, the winds were (theoretically) calmer in the western half of Wyoming. The N.W.S. Office in Riverton issued only 18 High Wind Warnings in 2022.
Meanwhile, the Rapid City office (which covers Crook, Campbell, and Weston Counties) issued 27 warnings. The Billings office (covering Sheridan County) and the Salt Lake City office (covering Unita County) each issued 20 warnings.
