Cheyenne
Population 66,507 (2025)
93 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Cheyenne since 1950, 2 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on June 12, 2025.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths within 25 miles since 195093
- Wildfire burn scars within 25 miles since 19843
- Major flood years since 1978, Laramie County1
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Laramie County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Laramie County.
Strongest tornado
F3
April 23, 1960, 17.2 mile path
Snowiest season
121.5in
Winter of 1979-80
Tornadoes
About one tornado a year since 1950, 2 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
April 23, 1960
F3, 17.2 mile path
33 yards wide.
Deadliest
July 16, 1979
1 killed, F3
40 injured along the whole path.
Most recent
Thursday, June 12, 2025
EF1, 2.2 mile path
Within the past year.
Every recorded tornado
| Jun 12, 2025 | EF1 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 31, 2023 | EFU | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 27, 2023 | EFU | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 2023 | EFU | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 11, 2019 | EFU | 1.3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 6, 2019 | EFU | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 29, 2018 | EF0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 19, 2018 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 27, 2018 | EFU | 0.6 | 0 | 0 |
| May 27, 2018 | EF2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 27, 2018 | EFU | 7.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 12, 2017 | EF0 | 2.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 12, 2017 | EF2 | 15.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 13, 2014 | EF0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 29, 2013 | EF0 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 7, 2012 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 7, 2012 | EF0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 7, 2012 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 4, 2010 | EF0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 18, 2010 | EF2 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 18, 2010 | EF0 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 18, 2010 | EF0 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 18, 2010 | EF0 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 18, 2010 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 15, 2010 | EF0 | 3.8 | 0 | 0 |
| May 23, 2008 | EF1 | 2.7 | 0 | 0 |
| May 22, 2008 | EF0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 22, 2008 | EF1 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 10, 2004 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 10, 2004 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 28, 2002 | F0 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 24, 2002 | F0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 30, 1999 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 21, 1998 | F0 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 9, 1998 | F0 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 25, 1998 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2, 1997 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 18, 1997 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 14, 1997 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 26, 1996 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 5, 1993 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 13, 1993 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 13, 1993 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 13, 1993 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 13, 1993 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 25, 1991 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 22, 1991 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 9, 1991 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 15, 1991 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 8, 1990 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 8, 1990 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 9, 1990 | F0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 6, 1990 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 1990 | F0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 1990 | F0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 1990 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 1990 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 20, 1990 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 18, 1988 | F0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 17, 1984 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 17, 1983 | F1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 17, 1983 | F1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 4, 1983 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 24, 1982 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 14, 1982 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 23, 1981 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 16, 1981 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 22, 1980 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 29, 1980 | F1 | 14.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 1980 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 6, 1980 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 6, 1980 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 7, 1979 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 7, 1979 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 28, 1979 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 28, 1979 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 30, 1979 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 30, 1979 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 16, 1979 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 16, 1979 | F3 | 8.8 | 40 | 1 |
| Jun 22, 1977 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 29, 1976 | F2 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 29, 1976 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 22, 1975 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 22, 1973 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 19, 1971 | F1 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 23, 1968 | F1 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 8, 1965 | F2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 23, 1960 | F3 | 17.2 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 29, 1958 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 18, 1958 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 18, 1958 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 10, 1958 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
- Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.
Wildfire and smoke
3 large fires burned within 25 miles since 1984.
Largest
March 1, 2024
Happy Jack Fire, 6,584 acres
8.1 miles from the city centre.
Most recent
March 1, 2024
Happy Jack Fire
6,584 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Happy Jack | 2024 | 8.1 | 6,584 |
| Cattle Drive | 2017 | 17.9 | 2,197 |
| Rosetta Lane | 2004 | 8.3 | 3,160 |
- Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2021: 61 days
Heavy smoke on 25 days in 2020, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
21.2 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
13 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 24 so far in 2026.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
192 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $970,000 paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Laramie County, the county that contains Cheyenne.
Most claims in one year
1985: 77 claims
$593,000 paid.
2nd most
1982: 16 claims
$48,000 paid.
3rd most
1983: 11 claims
$61,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 82001 | 88 | $444,000 |
| 82009 | 75 | $318,000 |
| 82007 | 26 | $200,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood92
- Heavy Rain15
- Flood6
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
River crests
River gauges in Laramie County, the county that contains Cheyenne.
| Apr 30, 1999 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 5.56 | −2.44 |
| May 10, 2016 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 4.81 | −3.19 |
| Aug 12, 1997 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 4.80 | −3.20 |
| Aug 5, 2008 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 4.73 | −3.27 |
| Aug 14, 2018 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 4.67 | −3.33 |
| May 9, 2015 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 4.44 | −3.56 |
| Jun 6, 2012 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 4.43 | −3.57 |
| Jul 24, 2011 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 4.33 | −3.67 |
| Sep 14, 2013 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 4.30 | −3.70 |
| Jun 14, 2010 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 4.21 | −3.79 |
| Feb 6, 2014 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 4.11 | −3.89 |
| Jul 13, 2014 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 3.80 | −4.20 |
| Jul 2, 1995 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 3.69 | −4.31 |
| Jul 23, 2006 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 3.52 | −4.48 |
| Aug 22, 2007 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 3.45 | −4.55 |
| Aug 29, 1996 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 3.44 | −4.56 |
| Jul 13, 2001 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 3.41 | −4.59 |
| May 22, 1998 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 3.40 | −4.60 |
| Jun 26, 2009 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 3.38 | −4.62 |
| Jun 12, 2005 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 3.33 | −4.67 |
| May 26, 2017 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 3.32 | −4.68 |
| Jul 11, 2000 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 3.05 | −4.95 |
| May 13, 1994 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 3.03 | −4.97 |
| Sep 11, 2002 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 3.01 | −4.99 |
| Jun 10, 2003 | Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 2.71 | −5.29 |
River gauges
| Crow Creek at 19th Street Cheyenne | 8.0 | 5.56 ft | 0 |
- Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.
NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 214 of 1,581 months since 1895 (14%); the longest spell lasted 28 months.
The drought index is for Laramie County, the county that contains Cheyenne.
214
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
110
Months in extreme drought
14%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
July 2026
−9.43, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
28 months
June 2024 to September 2026.
Latest month
September 2026
−8.99, extreme drought
- The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.
Earthquakes and landslides
7 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 2014; none reached magnitude 4.
2
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
0
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
May 31, 2014
Magnitude 3.2
9 km NNW of Kersey, Colorado; 46.7 miles away, 0.7 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
November 6, 2016
Magnitude 3.0
8 km ENE of Greeley, Colorado; 47.4 miles away.
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Mapped landslides
Landslides mapped in Laramie County.
13
Landslides mapped, probable or better
0
With a recorded date
1
Source inventory
Mapped by WY WSGS (13).
- Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.
USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
5,377 events in the National Weather Service record for Laramie County, 5,031 of them since 1996.
862
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
86
Hail, 2 inches or larger
229
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
774
Winter weather events since 1996
2
Heat events since 1996
61
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
June 8, 1968
5.00 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
June 12, 1994
100 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 1 | 0 |
| Dust storms and dust devils | 1 | 0 |
| Dense fog and smoke | 4 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Aug 26, 2002Hail$30.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Hail from 1 inch up to 2.75 inches in diameter fell over mainly the central and western parts of the city of Cheyenne, WY. Significant damage was reported to automobiles and roofs.
- Jul 13, 1996Hail$4.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Hail, from three quarters of an inch to one and one-half inchesfell in the Cheyenne area. Damage was done to windows, roofsand trees.
- Jul 31, 1996Hail$3.4 million
National Weather Service narrative
Hail, between one inch and two and one-half inches fell in Cheyenne.
- Aug 29, 1996Hail$2.4 million
National Weather Service narrative
Large hail broke some car windows in Cheyenne and damaged numerous roofs.
- Aug 1, 2025Hail$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Emergency manager reported base ball sized hail in Cheyenne.|Estimated property damage citywide from all reports with this event total at least $1 million per Laramie County EMA.
- Jun 25, 2026Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
NWS Employee sent photos of a derailed train with about 40 cars loaded with shipping containers on their side. Near exit 4 on I-25. Derailed train could be seen clearly from the Interstate for days. Time is the estimated time of QLCS moving through that area.
- Jul 13, 1996Hail$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Large hail caused extensive crop damage to the north of Albin.
- Dec 19, 2025High Wind, South Laramie Range Foothills$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
Most observation sites across the southern Laramie Range foothills reported strong wind gusts between 60 to 72 MPH. Peak gust of 72 MPH was measured at Whitaker, north of Cheyenne. Locally higher gusts are possible. Laramie County EM shared photos of several train cars blown over and derailed near Federal.
- Jun 8, 2024Hail$400,000
National Weather Service narrative
A trained weather spotter measured 2-inch diameter hail 9 miles SSW of Hillsdale.
- Mar 1, 2024Wildfire, South Laramie Range Foothills$250,000
National Weather Service narrative
Around 12 PM MST, received reports of a grass fire west of Cheyenne that was rapidly spreading with strong southwest winds off the South Laramie Range gusting 30 to 40 MPH. Approximately 6,619 acres were burned 5 miles west of Cheyenne with multiple structures damaged or destroyed. Two evacuation orders were given by local officials including the Happy Valley subdivision. No total loss of primary structures were reported, but numerous outbuildings were damaged or destroyed with one completely loss garage.
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Cheyenne, 1.7 miles from the city centre, with records from 1915.
- All-time high
- 100°F2 times, most recently Jun 23, 1954
- All-time low
- −34°FFeb 8, 1936
- Warmest night
- 68°FJul 31, 1960
- Coldest day
- −21°FJan 11, 1963
- Wettest day
- 6.06 inAug 1, 1985
- Snowiest day
- 22.7 inMar 14, 2021
- Hottest year
- 2024mean 49.3°F
- Coldest year
- 1951mean 42.9°F
- Wettest year
- 194223.69 in
- Driest year
- 19645.94 in
- Snowiest season
- 121.5 in1979-80
Median first snow
October 9
Earliest: September 8, 1929
Median last snow
May 11
Latest: June 14, 1955
0 of 111 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Cheyenne (USW00024018), 6,193 ft elevation, 1.7 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1915 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
5 since 1953. The most recent: Happy Jack Fire, March 1, 2024.
Declarations for Laramie County.
| Mar 1, 2024 | Fire | FM-5490-WY |
| Apr 11, 2020 | Biological | DR-4535-WY |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3479-WY |
| Aug 7, 1985 | Flood | DR-740-WY |
| Jul 19, 1979 | Tornado | DR-591-WY |
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00024018.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.