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Wyoming high wind and dust storms

Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 23 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 8,737 high wind and dust records in Wyoming from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 307 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 23, 2018 strong wind in Sweetwater County: 1 death and 2 injuries. Wyoming ranks 2nd of 52 states and territories by count and 10th of 51 per square mile.

High wind and dust storms in Wyoming, 1996 to 2026

Wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
8,7371996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
307average
Deaths
553 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$6.6Mas filed
Busiest year
2017865 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are high wind and dust records common in Wyoming?

Wyoming averages about 307 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 2nd of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2017 (865). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Wyoming records 900 high wind and dust records since 1996, 10th of 51 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Rhode Island 7061
  2. 2. New Jersey 4882
  3. 3. Massachusetts 4776
  4. 4. Delaware 3705
  5. 5. Maryland 1330
  6. 6. Connecticut 1301
  7. 7. Vermont 1178
  8. 8. Hawaii 1067
  9. 9. New York 1028
  10. 10. Wyoming 900

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Wyoming have the most high wind and dust records?

Per square mile, Platte County leads Wyoming: 720 days with a high wind record since 1996, 345.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Albany County has the most wind records (4,331 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Platte County 345.9 (984)
  2. Laramie County 302.3 (2,585)
  3. Albany County 266.3 (4,331)
  4. Carbon County 117.1 (2,597)
  5. Hot Springs County 64.4 (138)
  6. Natrona County 61.2 (484)
  7. Converse County 48.2 (269)
  8. Fremont County 44.1 (624)
  9. Park County 40.5 (366)
  10. Sheridan County 40.4 (115)
  11. Goshen County 38.2 (90)
  12. Johnson County 31.5 (165)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the windy season in Wyoming?

Wyoming's high wind and dust records by month. The busiest month is December (1,752 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 1,422 · Feb 1,527 · Mar 980 · Apr 671 · May 276 · Jun 184 · Jul 40 · Aug 37 · Sep 103 · Oct 600 · Nov 1,145 · Dec 1,752 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in Wyoming?

Wyoming: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2018-06-23 Strong WindSweetwater County · forecast zone Flaming Gorge A boat capsized around 3.5 miles southeast of the Buckboard Marina on Flaming Gorge reservoir around 1 pm after gusty winds developed and the water became choppy. The boat was swamped and eventually capsized. A 48 year old man drowned as a result. He was the only one not wearing a life vest. Two other men suffered ... 35 kt wind 1 2 –
1999-11-24 High WindBig Horn County and Park County · forecast zone Cody Foothills / Part Of E Park Strong gusty crosswinds caused a two-vehicle accident between Cody and Meeteetse on WY Highway 120 on the evening of the 24th. 1 1 –
2011-02-11 High WindAlbany County and Platte County · forecast zone Central Laramie Range And Southwest Platte County WYDOT sensor at Bordeaux measured sustained winds in excess of 40 mph throughout the event with a peak gust of 82 mph 13/0435 AM. 71 kt wind 1 0 –
2008-06-18 Dust DevilCasper, Natrona County A 34-year-old woman was killed when a dust devil flipped a small scorer's shed next to a team dugout at a youth ball field complex. The woman apparently sought shelter from the dust devil by positioning herself behind the shed. The shed was flipped one-half revolution, crushing her on the first flip and then rolling ... 1 0 $1K
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 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest high wind and dust records in Wyoming

Wyoming: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1999-03-16 High WindSublette County and Teton County · forecast zone Lander Foothills 0 0 $886K
2025-12-19 High WindAlbany County and Laramie County · forecast zone South Laramie Range Foothills One storm episode: 15 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. 63 kt wind 0 0 $555K
2000-02-14 High WindFremont County · forecast zone Kemmerer / S Lincoln 87 kt wind 0 0 $428K
2007-11-12 High WindPark County · forecast zone Cody Foothills 65 kt wind 0 0 $427K
2016-02-18 High WindJohnson County · forecast zone Northeast Johnson County 70 kt wind 0 0 $307K
2026-03-12 High WindLaramie County · forecast zone Central Laramie County One storm episode: 18 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. 95 kt wind 0 4 $210K
1996-08-05 High WindPark County and Teton County · forecast zone Yellowstone National Park 0 3 $102K
2025-12-08 High WindAlbany County and Carbon County · forecast zone North Snowy Range Foothills One storm episode: 14 records in 9 places, 2025-12-08 to 2025-12-09; the totals are the episode's. 74 kt wind 0 0 $60K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are high wind and dust records becoming more frequent in Wyoming?

Wyoming's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

High wind and dust storms: Wyoming and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeWyomingUnited StatesWyoming's share
1996-9949014,0263.5%
2000s54437,2541.5%
2010s5,24241,74812.6%
2020-262,46136,3006.8%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent high wind and dust records in Wyoming

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
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 WindFremont County and 2 more · forecast zone Green Mountains & Rattlesnake Range 53 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-29 High WindNatrona County · forecast zone Natrona County Lower Elevations 71 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-29 High WindPlatte County · forecast zone East Platte County 69 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 –
2026-06-26 High WindSweetwater County · forecast zone East Sweetwater County 50 kt wind 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 WindSublette County · forecast zone Upper Green River Basin Foothills 54 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-10 High WindFremont County and 3 more · forecast zone Upper Green River Basin 58 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-10 High WindPark County · forecast zone Cody Foothills 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-10 High WindFremont County and 2 more · forecast zone Green Mountains & Rattlesnake Range 55 kt wind 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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