Warm wind, record highs

Posted 2/10/15

The high in Powell was 37 degrees, with an east-southeast wind at 9 mph, as of 4:55 p.m., according to Dave Lipson, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Riverton.

But the wind shifted to the west-southwest, and by 5:35 p.m. it was 54 …

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Warm wind, record highs

Posted

Temperature jumps 18 degrees in an hour Thursday evening

A warm wind blew through Powell Thursday evening, pushing temperatures up by nearly 20 degrees in an hour and setting a tone for an unusually warm winter weekend.

The high in Powell was 37 degrees, with an east-southeast wind at 9 mph, as of 4:55 p.m., according to Dave Lipson, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Riverton.

But the wind shifted to the west-southwest, and by 5:35 p.m. it was 54 degrees, with a breeze at 26 and gusts to 37 mph. The high for the day was reached 20 minutes later, hitting 55, which set a record by two degrees.

The night remained unseasonably warm, and the wind continued to hammer away, hitting a high of 49 mph. The temperature was 52 at that time, Lipson said, and it stayed right there until 10:55 p.m.

It remained pleasant all night, with temps in the 40s and 50s, he said. The pattern continued through the weekend, with a high of 61 on Friday, setting another record by one degree, and hitting 57 on Saturday, six degrees shy of the record, and 55 on Sunday, eight short of a new mark.

Such conditions are referred as a chinook wind, Lipson said, and they do happen here from time, although they are more common in southern Wyoming.

“They happen more often in some areas than others,” he said.

Despite the warm conditions, the state’s snowpack has grown, according to a water supply specialist. See the story on Page 7.

This week should remain well above normal, with highs around 50, Lipson said. The long-range forecast calls for continued above-normal warmth, he said, but a cold front may move through Sunday night and Monday morning, bringing a return, at least for a day or two, of regular winter conditions.

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