Albany County, Wyoming

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 56001 · population 37,019 · 4,274 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 6,260 records for Albany County, Wyoming from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 1,729 days; the most frequent are high wind and dust records (4,331 records). 5,966 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the April 20, 2015 dense fog, filed for the forecast zone Laramie Valley, which covers the county: 2 deaths and 25 injuries. FEMA has issued 10 declarations naming the county since 2002, 8 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Mullen Fire” on September 26, 2020.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $100,000
  • $100,000 or more
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more, or a death
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
  • 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
  • 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
Storm records
6,260on 1,729 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
14157 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$3.2Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
32strongest EF3
FEMA declarations
10latest 2020

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.

What hazards hit Albany County most?

The most frequent records are high wind and dust records: 4,331 since 1996. The rank column places the county among Wyoming's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.

Albany County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
High wind and dust storms 4,331 1,138 1996-2026 2 23 $1.1M 3 of 23
Winter storms 1,503 508 1996-2026 7 106 $508K 1 of 23
Hail 130 84 1962-2026 0 0 $102K 13 of 23
Extreme cold 115 43 1996-2026 0 0 – 2 of 23
Severe thunderstorm wind 93 62 1964-2026 0 0 $96K 15 of 23
Tornadoes 32 28 1953-2025 0 2 $506K 11 of 23
Floods 24 19 1999-2023 0 0 $100K 13 of 23
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 15 11 1997-2025 2 25 $26K 8 of 23
Wildfires 7 7 2018-2024 0 0 $235K 13 of 23
Lightning 5 5 1996-2023 2 1 $576K 3 of 23
Heavy rain 4 2 2010-2014 0 0 – 7 of 23
Landslides and avalanches 1 1 2008-2008 1 0 – 14 of 23

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.

How many tornadoes has Albany County had?

NOAA records 32 tornadoes in Albany County from 1953 to 2025, the strongest rated EF3, with 0 deaths and 2 injuries recorded in the county. That is 11th of 23 Wyoming counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.

Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 32 tornadoes whose track touched Albany County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 32, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Albany County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
2018-06-06 17:43, as SPC files itUnnamedEF311.3 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Wyoming.

Every tornado record filed for Albany County (32)
Every tornado recorded in Albany County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-06-17 Laramie, Albany County EF1 1.6 mi x 450 yd 0 0 –
2025-06-11 Reed Place, Albany County EFU 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
2023-06-13 Lookout, Albany County EFU 2.36 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2023-05-27 Toltec, Albany County EFU 7.37 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2023-05-18 Laramie, Albany County EFU 3 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2019-07-06 Bosler, Albany County EF1 3.98 mi x 500 yd 0 0 –
2018-06-06 Howell, Albany County EF2 0.6 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2018-06-06 Wyoming, Albany County EF3 11.3 mi x 600 yd 0 0 –
2018-05-27 Buford, Albany County EFU 5.67 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2015-05-23 Bosler, Albany County EF0 0.3 mi x 35 yd 0 0 –
2008-05-22 Perkins, Albany County EF0 0.01 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2008-05-22 Perkins, Albany County EF2 25.13 mi x 100 yd 0 1 $411K
2002-08-27 Laramie, Albany County F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2002-08-27 Laramie, Albany County F0 0.2 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2002-08-24 Laramie, Albany County F0 0.2 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
1996-05-23 Laramie, Albany County F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $94K
1995-06-27 Rock River, Albany County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1994-07-13 Bosler, Albany County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1994-05-31 Albany County F0 2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1991-06-21 Albany County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1991-06-06 Albany County F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1990-08-03 Albany County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1983-08-18 Albany County F0 0.2 mi x 17 yd 0 0 $30 step
1982-06-25 Albany County F0 0.5 mi x 3 yd 0 0 $30 step
1979-05-05 Albany County F1 0.3 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1978-07-21 Albany County F0 5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
1977-06-05 Albany County F1 0 0 $30 step
1974-08-09 Albany County F1 0 0 $30 step
1974-08-09 Albany County F1 0 0 $30 step
1965-06-15 Albany County 0 0 –
1960-07-03 Albany County F1 1.5 mi x 400 yd 0 1 –
1953-07-16 Albany County F1 0 0 –

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.

When was the last damaging storm in Albany County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 12, 2026 high wind (1 injury and $40,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

All observation sites west of Cheyenne reported persistent strong wind gusts over 58 MPH. Peak wind gust of 96 MPH measured at the EMKAYW Union Pacific Railroad site. Numerous photos of at least three flipped over semi trucks on Interstate 25 near the Colorado border.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1317869)
The 12 most recent records kept for Albany County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-29 High WindAlbany County and Carbon County · forecast zone North Snowy Range Foothills 59 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-29 High WindAlbany County and 2 more · forecast zone Central Laramie Range And Southwest Platte County 63 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-25 Thunderstorm WindLaramie, Albany County 61 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-25 Thunderstorm WindLaramie, Albany County 59 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-25 Thunderstorm WindQuealy Dome, Albany County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-24 HailRock River, Albany County 1.50 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-24 HailRock River, Albany County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-20 HailGarrett, Albany County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-16 High WindAlbany County and Laramie County · forecast zone South Laramie Range 54 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-16 High WindAlbany County and Carbon County · forecast zone North Snowy Range Foothills 58 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-10 High WindAlbany County and 2 more · forecast zone Central Laramie Range And Southwest Platte County 56 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-10 High WindAlbany County and Carbon County · forecast zone North Snowy Range Foothills 62 kt wind 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.

The deadliest and costliest records

Records with deaths or injuries in Albany County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2015-04-20 Dense FogAlbany County · forecast zone Laramie Valley Very low visibility in dense fog and icy road surface contributed to a deadly, multi-vehicle pileup on Interstate 80 18 miles west of Laramie at mile marker 292 about 8 am. A 22,000 gallon tanker was on fire. Interstate 80 and nearby highways 30 and 287 were closed. WYDOT posted Speeds Advised at 45 MPH and Black Ice ... 2 25 –
1999-07-24 LightningCentennial, Albany County Lightning killed two hikers on Medicine Bow peak northwest of Centennial, WY, about 150 to 200feet below the summit at an altitude just over 12,000 feet. 2 0 –
2023-01-28 Winter StormAlbany County and Carbon County · forecast zone North Snowy Range Foothills Interstate 80 between Laramie and Rawlins was closed for an extended period of time due to winter conditions and a large scale multi-vehicle accident. A total of 44 cars and trucks were involved with the pileups at mile markers 261 and 266. CoCoRaHS observer near Elk Mountain reported a multiday snowfall total over 25 ... 1 40 –
1997-12-08 Winter StormAlbany County and Laramie County · forecast zone Laramie Range Winter storm conditions caused by fresh snow and strong winds contributed to 76 accidents from 2200 12/08 to 1700 12/10 in Laramie and Albany counties. 17 of the accidents involved injuries, the exact number of which are not known. 21 passengers on a bus were injured 12/10 when the bus rear-ended an eastbound ... 1 5 $46K
2020-10-22 Winter WeatherAlbany County and Carbon County · forecast zone Shirley Basin Wyoming State Highway Patrol responded around 5:35 PM MDT near milepost 281 along United States Highway 30 and 287 to a two-vehicle accident that claimed the life of an 18-year-old female driver after a vehicle lost control due to excessive speed for the reported icy road conditions crossing the median and hitting a ... 1 4 –
1999-12-03 Winter StormAlbany County · forecast zone Laramie Valley Icy roads resulted in a couple of accidents near Laramie, WY, with one fatality occurring in a rollover on Interstate 80 about 6 miles west of Laramie, WY. 1 1 $27K
2019-11-20 Heavy SnowAlbany County and Carbon County · forecast zone North Snowy Range Foothills As the winter storm moved through the area, conditions along Interstate 80 on the afternoon of the 20th quickly deteriorated with icy conditions and limited visibility from blowing snow. A single vehicle rollover crash occurred at 4 PM on Wednesday where a female passenger who was not wearing her seatbelt succombed to ... 1 0 –
2018-12-11 Strong WindAlbany County · forecast zone Laramie Valley A single vehicle car crash occurred at milepost 302 on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 about eight miles west of Laramie. The driver lost control of his vehicle to which the vehicle then left the roadway and overturned. The driver succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The interstate was reportedly icy likely ... 43 kt wind 1 0 –
The costliest records in Albany County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1996-08-05 LightningWheatland, Albany County 0 0 $564K
2025-12-19 High WindAlbany County and Laramie County · forecast zone South Laramie Range Foothills 63 kt wind 0 0 $500K
2008-05-22 TornadoPerkins, Albany County EF2 25.13 mi x 100 yd 0 1 $411K
1996-05-23 TornadoLaramie, Albany County F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $94K
1999-12-03 Winter StormAlbany County and Laramie County · forecast zone Laramie Range 0 3 $53K
1997-12-08 Winter StormAlbany County and Laramie County · forecast zone Laramie Range 1 5 $46K
2026-03-12 High WindAlbany County and Laramie County · forecast zone South Laramie Range Foothills 83 kt wind 0 1 $40K
1996-10-16 Thunderstorm WindLaramie, Albany County 0 0 $38K

Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $30, in the dollars of the day) holds: August 9, 1974 (tornado, Albany County); August 9, 1974 (tornado, Albany County); June 5, 1977 (tornado, Albany County).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.

Is it getting more frequent?

Records per decade for Albany County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).

Albany County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
High wind and dust storms––––1651263,023 z1,017
Winter storms––––94100977 z332
Hail0131115245323
Extreme cold––––11542 z57
Severe thunderstorm wind04995112728
Tornadoes12527555

High wind and dust storms in the 2010s: 3,023 records against 126 in the decade before, 3,023 of them forecast-zone records. Winter storms in the 2010s: 977 records against 100 in the decade before, 977 of them forecast-zone records. Extreme cold in the 2010s: 42 records against 5 in the decade before, 42 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Albany County days with a record above.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

Records by month in Albany County. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 993 · Feb 1,025 · Mar 644 · Apr 535 · May 233 · Jun 150 · Jul 108 · Aug 70 · Sep 69 · Oct 445 · Nov 784 · Dec 1,204 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Albany County

FEMA's register lists 10 declarations that include Albany County: 3 major disasters, one emergency and 6 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (6) and biological (2).

Declarations including Albany County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2020-09-26FM-5375FireMullen Fire
2020-04-11DR-4535BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3479BiologicalCovid-19
2018-06-11FM-5241FireBadger Creek Fire
2015-07-07DR-4227FloodSevere Storms and Flooding
2012-07-02FM-2993FireSquirrel Creek Fire
2012-06-29FM-2992FireArapahoe Fire
2011-07-22DR-4007Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, and Landslides
2002-07-01FM-2436FireWy - Reese Mountain Fire - 07/01/02
2002-06-18FM-2427FireWy-Hensel Fire-06/07/02

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.

How many floods has Albany County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 24 flood or flash flood records for Albany County from 1999 to 2023, on 19 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Albany County ranks 2181st of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $122,000 on 16 claims filed in Albany County; the most in one year was 3 in 2010. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1980: 1 · 1981: 1 · 1983: 1 · 1985: 1 · 1986: 1 · 2008: 2 · 2009: 1 · 2010: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2023: 2; the other years: 0.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk for Albany County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Albany County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $18.1 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.

National Risk Index ratings for Albany County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Winter WeatherRelatively High$493K25 a year (modeled)
LightningRelatively High$979K51 a year (modeled)
LandslideRelatively Moderate$53K1.2 a year (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$6.3M4.2 a year (modeled)
AvalancheRelatively Moderate$913Konce in about 15 years (modeled)
WildfireRelatively Low$782Konce in about 619 years (modeled)
EarthquakeRelatively Low$576Konce in about 760 years (modeled)
Ice StormRelatively Low$102Konce in about 36 years (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Albany County

  1. Albany County 6,260
  2. Laramie County 5,081
  3. Carbon County 4,852
  4. Larimer County, CO 1,978
  5. Platte County 1,842
  6. Converse County 843
  7. Jackson County, CO 570

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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