(Fremont County, WY) – The recent weather system that moved through the state brought high winds to Wyoming’s roadways over the past few days, with the South Pass area in Fremont County taking the brunt of the gusty onslaught.
County 10 Meteorologist Dave Lipson shared that on Monday, February 3, a 104 mph gust was recorded on South Pass around 12:50 AM.
The National Weather Service in Riverton (NWSR) confirmed as much in the graphic below, which shares some other notable wind data.
Fremont County also saw 62/63 mph gusts in Lander and the Beaver Rim areas, as well as a 52 mph gust in Fort Washakie. And yes, you read that right; Mount Coffin, located in the Lincoln County area, recorded a 120 mph gust.
The high winds led to travel restrictions for WY 28 South Pass roads both yesterday and today. Today’s restriction was originally for light, high profile vehicles under 50000 GVW, but has since dropped to 40000 GVW, and remains in effect as of 3:40 PM.
The WYDOT District 5 Facebook page shared that yesterday, a trailer carrying a Conex box blew over at the north end of Red Canyon on WY 28. The box was moved to a nearby turnout, where it blew over once again today.
“The South Pass drive is treacherous today, as visibility is tough in areas where the snow is blowing,” WYDOT advised in their post. “If you don’t have to go, don’t.”