‘It’s Carnage’: Wyoming Wind Gusts Up To 109MPH Blow Over Trucks, Rip Off Roofs

A Wyoming windstorm with gusts reported as high as 109 mph has blown over dozens of commercial trucks, ripped roofs off buildings, and uprooted trees on Thursday. “It’s carnage,” is how meteorologist Don Day described the damage.

Greg Johnson & Kate Meadows
March 12, 2026
5 min read


Hurricane force winds uprooted large trees all across Cheyenne on Friday, causing considerable damage. (Jimmy Orr, Cowboy State Daily)

Winds gusting up to 109 mph, creating brownout conditions by blowing loose dirt and gravel, have knocked over dozens of semitrailers across Wyoming, including more than 10 between Cheyenne and the state line with Colorado.

“This is at the top end of about how bad it can get,” Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day said about the Thursday windstorm that’s brought sustained winds into the lower 60 mph range. ... Measured gusts are just under 90 mph in many places in southeast Wyoming, he said, which seems to be getting the brunt of the windstorm.

The National Weather Service’s Cheyenne office, meanwhile, said it has received reports of a 109-mph gust between Laramie and Centennial in the Snowy Range.

National Weather Service meteorologist Michael Natoli said a weather watcher 5 miles west of Chugwater reported a gust of 95 mph. ... Those aren’t official because the Weather Service can’t confirm them.

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Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com and Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.