Weather and Road Conditions

This year, the National Weather Service saw a general increase in the average number of tornadoes in Wyoming. Not only that, but researchers believe tornado alley may be expanding, and that some tornado seasons could last into the winter months. So what does this mean for Wyoming and its recent touchdowns?

With many bird populations in decline, two recent studies out of Colorado State University used weather radar to track the movements of swallows and martins to gain clues into how climate change and roost size affect their roosting habits.

The end of this week is likely to see record cold temperatures, when many are starting to travel for the holidays.Jordan Achs, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) deputy public affairs officer, is reminding Wyoming drivers to look at road conditions, have a full tank of gas and an emergency kit in their car.

Researchers found that those wildfires increase the “occurrences of heavy precipitation rates by 38%” in our region, according to their work in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The Southwest Monsoon Fantasy Forecasts game has players predicting precipitation levels in five Southwest cities – and there's cash on the line.

Over the last few days, much of Wyoming has been blanketed with smokey skies from regional fires.

The First Street Foundation, a nonprofit research group that analyzes climate risk in the U.S., published a report this week projecting the frequency and duration of hazardous heat events come 2053.

Much of southeast Wyoming set record breaking temperatures earlier this week, and the area is likely to continue to see hot weather throughout the week.

Climate change can make flooding worse in a number of ways, according to Colorado State University researcher Frances Davenport. That includes warmer air carrying more moisture, causing more intense precipitation events. It could also mean more rain falling on snowpacks in higher elevations, causing floods like we saw in Yellowstone National Park.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for parts of Nevada, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona this weekend. These warnings usually last one to three days, and mean that any new wildfires could exhibit extreme behavior. If you see these warnings, take extra precautions to prevent wildfires, like make sure campfires are completely out and stop smoking.