WYOMING – Wyoming is big and diverse, geographically. Want proof?
The Cowboy State is the 10thlargest state by area spanning some 97,914 square miles. From high plains and western prairies to jagged mountain peaks, the state also ranges from the lowest of lows at 3,101 feet above sea level (Belle Fourche River) to an oxygen-starved 13,809 at the summit of Gannet Peak.
In all this terrain, all this diversity, some mighty incongruent things can be happening in the same day, the same hour. Temperature range is noted most often. On any given day, high temperature readings can vary as much as 30 degrees or more. For instance, America’s Little Ice Box in Big Piney could post a high of 56 on the same spring day the thermometer hits 80 in Basin, Wyo.
With winter inversion, these numbers can get downright wonky. A Big Piney high in January might read: -8 at the Bank of the West sign while Worland hits 38F.
On any given day you might find Wyomingites choosing between a weekend of boating or ‘biling, swimming or skiing. It’s crazy but it’s one of the many reasons we love our state.
Today’s prime example in weather wackiness? As more than a thousand firefighters battle the nation’s worst wildfire at the moment in the Hoback Canyon, a winter storm warning has been posted for the Big Horn Mountains outside of Buffalo, Wyo.
If only the 6-9 inches of snow forecasted for tonight in the Big Horns could be shifted to the Roosevelt Fire. But that’s 180 miles as the snow flies.
Like we said, Wyoming is a big state.
