Wyoming Climate
Top 5 Cities: Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie, Gillette, and Rock Springs
This month in numbers
Wyoming experienced its warmest March on record, with an average temperature of 5.39°C, an anomaly of +6.7°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This also marks the warmest March maximum temperature on record at 13.28°C, an anomaly of +8.2°C. The first three months of 2026 (January–March) were also the warmest on record for average temperature, reaching 0.8°C, an anomaly of +5.4°C. Precipitation for March was significantly below average at 18.8 mm, ranking as the 71st driest March in 77 years. The January–March period was the 2nd driest on record, with only 16.77 mm of precipitation, an anomaly of -9.8 mm.
What changed
Wyoming's exceptionally warm and dry start to the year stands in stark contrast to the national picture, where global land temperatures for April 2026 ranked as the 2nd warmest on record. The state's average temperature for March placed it as the 7th warmest of 234 regions globally, with a +6.69°C anomaly. For the January–March period, Wyoming was the 2nd warmest globally, with an anomaly of +5.37°C. This prolonged warmth has exacerbated drought conditions, with 97% of Wyoming experiencing drought as of late April, and nearly 35% in extreme drought, primarily in eastern Wyoming. This is a significant worsening from the previous month.
What’s driving change?
The persistent warmth and dryness in Wyoming are largely driven by jet stream shifts, which have led to a stubborn pattern of high-pressure ridges blocking winter weather across the western US and channelling it eastward. This has resulted in a significantly reduced snowpack, with most basins in eastern Wyoming at 0% of their seasonal snowpack by the end of March, and even western Wyoming basins seeing a precipitous drop. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C, but forecasts indicate a 61% chance of El Niño developing by May–July, increasing to 87% by July–September. While a late spring storm brought some snow to parts of Wyoming in early May, including almost 12 inches in Cheyenne, it was not enough to alleviate the severe drought conditions. Wyoming has experienced two drought events and one flood event in the past 12 months, with the recent occurrences representing 100% of the annual total for both, an unusual concentration of events for the region. More information can be found on our live tracker at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
Long-range outlooks for the coming months favour slightly above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation, although meteorologists are expressing caution due to the unpredictable nature of recent weather patterns.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Wyoming
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Wyoming changing?
Wyoming is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Wyoming come from?
Climate data for Wyoming comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Wyoming climate data cover?
The Wyoming climate profile covers Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie, Gillette and surrounding areas. Wyoming climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the Wyoming climate update refreshed?
The Wyoming climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.