Unusually high winds hit the state over the last couple days, making winter driving extra dangerous.
Wind gusts were clocked at 144 miles per hour in Smoot, near Star Valley, and 123 mph on South Pass, between Farson and Lander, according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) sensors.
Although the state is known for its wind, WYDOT Deputy Public Affairs Officer Jordan Young said 100 mph “still raises some eyebrows around here.”
The extreme winds were an issue across the region this week, making for dangerous wildfire conditions and some utilities to take power sources temporarily offline.
The wind is linked to storms in the Pacific Northwest. Moisture is trapped in that region’s mountains and creates high gusts in the Plains.
On Wednesday, much of Wyoming’s interstates and some state highways were closed to high profile vehicles.
“Large, tall vehicles with not a lot of weight to them, especially vehicles like RVs, campers, toy haulers, other large, boxy trailers, are really susceptible to being blown over or blown around by that wind,” Young said.
She added that just on Wednesday, there were at least 17 vehicle blow overs. High profile vehicles being tipped over by wind in Wyoming is nothing new. Young said it’s an unfortunate mix of the strength of Wyoming’s wind and the angle of certain highways, like I-80’s east-west.
“The wind kind of blows the trailer like a sail and makes it where they end up on their side or down in the ditch, or sometimes they end up perpendicular to the road, blocking both lanes,” she said.
The high winds make it hard for wrecking companies to come out and remove the tipped over vehicles.
“That's why sometimes folks will see vehicles on their sides along the highways. The wreckers have to wait until it's safe enough,” Young said.
She added that more and more, WYDOT is noticing other non-commercial vehicles being blown over by wind, like campers, RVs and other empty trailers.
“It doesn't take a very strong wind gust for those to be blown over or blown in a way that causes them to crash,” Young said. “Just because folks aren't driving a commercial vehicle doesn't mean that those warnings aren't intended for them.”
For the latest road conditions check WYDOT’s website.
