A major heat wave is imminent, but before that, parts of Wyoming will have one last chance to relieve the drought. Things around the state have improved dramatically in terms of drought over the past two months, especially compared to much of the western United States which sees extreme or catastrophic drought heading towards the forest fire season. Only southwest Carbon County and a very small portion of southeast Sweetwater County remain in Level 4 Extreme for Wyoming at this time.

The chance of rain for today is mostly reserved for Southeastern Wyoming, with parts of central Wyoming receiving rain early this morning in the form of scattered showers. These pushed southeast very quickly, and what remains today for the southeastern corner of the state is not expected to be widespread or last for long. The sun has returned earlier than expected in places like Cheyenne, which will likely cause the heat to accelerate. It could affect things throughout the week for the capital if the sun stayed out today rather than hiding behind cloud cover as expected. Severe risk of storms this afternoon remains low, with only southeastern Laramie County and a little of the Nebraska Panhandle in Level 1 “marginal” risk.

Cloud cover is expected to be abundant during the evening and overnight today before a slow break takes place on Wednesday, but if today is any sign of anything it’s these will break a lot more earlier than expected on Wednesday, further accelerating the warming process as the week of June advances. While Cheyenne is unlikely to see them this week, many places in Wyoming and Nebraska are expected to eclipse the 90-degree mark by Friday; ahead of schedule compared to normal. Heat like this usually doesn’t arrive until late July and August, at least not consistently. That’s a marked difference from 2020, when a cold front rocked the state in the first week of June, bringing graupel and snow. Outdoor plans will launch this weekend, but sunscreen will be a must with the heat looming and very few clouds expected for the weekend.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) –

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