Friday, March 13, 2026 |
Photo – Windsock – Bigfoot99 file photo
The heavy wreckers were busy Thursday on Interstates 80 and 25, coming to the rescue of big rigs blown over by Wyoming’s winds.
Interstate 80 between Rawlins and Laramie was closed much of the afternoon because of extreme blow over risks.
Wind gauges on the I-80 corridor recorded sustained wind speeds of 40 miles per hour with gusts to 60 and 77 miles per hour at Halleck Ridge and County Road 402.
Wind gusts at Sinclair and Walcott Junction were reportedly in the 50 mile-an-hour range.
A reported 102 mph gust was reported between Laramie and Centennial. Several cell phone alerts were sent reporting heavy dust storms causing zero percent visibility. The skies were brown with flying dirt and small rocks.
Cheyenne had sustained winds of 53mph with gusts in the 80mph range. 10 semis were reported to have blown over on I-25 between Cheyenne and the State Line.
WYDOT closed down I-80 because of multiple crashes.
