Wyoming Weather / Climate
Wyoming is located in the northern Rocky Mountain section of the western United States. The State of Wyoming covers 97,914 square miles, making it the 10th largest of the 50 states. Of those 97,914 square miles, 97,195 square miles of Wyoming are land areas, with the remaining square miles of Wyoming covered by water. The mean elevation of Wyoming is 6,700 feet above sea level, making the state the second highest state just after Colorado. The highest point in Wyoming is found in the Wind River Range at Gannent Peak reaching 13,804 feet above sea level. The lowest point in the state is the Belle Fourche River at 3,099 feet above sea level.
Wyoming is bordered by Montana on the north, and Utah and Colorado on the south. On the east is South Dakota and Nebraska, and on the west is Utah, Idaho and Montana. The state is entirely bounded by straight lines and is one of only three states in the United States that can claim that fact. The distance from the north border to the south border is 276 miles, from the east to the west border is 375 miles. The State of Wyoming has a longitude of 104 degrees 3' West to 111 degrees 3' West, with a latitude of 41 degrees North to 45 degrees North.
The great State of Wyoming offers beauty and diversity in its grand landscape. The Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming, comprised of a large plateau broken by significant mountain ranges. In the northwest are the Absaroka, Owl Creek, Wyoming, Gros Ventre, Wind River and Teton mountain ranges. In the north central are the Big Horns, in the northeast are the Black Hills, and in the south are the Laramie, Medicine Bow and Sierra Madre mountain ranges.
Running from the northwest to the south central border of the state is the Continental Divide. Wyoming's rivers are divided by this uprising, where rivers on the east flow to the Missouri River Basin eventually meeting the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Rivers on the west of the Divide eventually meet the Pacific Ocean while flowing through the Columbia and the Colorado River Basins.
The average elevation for the State of Wyoming is 6,700 feet above sea level, the second highest in the United States. The climate is varied because of its topographical diversity ranging from high mountain peaks to undulating valleys to wide open plains. Most often the climate is categorized as semiarid. Annual percipitation ranges from as little as five inches to as much as 45 inches a year. The type of percipitation varies in form with rain or snow.
Wyoming has a relatively cool climate due to its elevation. The normal mean temperature is 45.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Rarely do temperatures exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit above the 6,000 foot level. Summer nights are almost invariably cool with temperature readings into 40 degrees Fahrenheit. There is a drastic change with the summer daytime temperature readings from 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Distant from the mountains, low July temperatures range from 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Information from 2001 records show that 64% of the days in a year are sunny for the State of Wyoming. The highest temperature recorded in Wyoming is 114 degrees Fahrenheit. This record high was recorded on July 12, 1900 at Basin, Wyoming. The lowest temperature in Wyoming, -63 degrees Fahrenheit, was recorded on February 9, 1933 at Moran, wyoming.
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