Northern Wyoming News - Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years

People love to talk about the weather. In Wyoming, throughout the year, you’ll hear a myriad of comments about the weather with many a conversation starting with “hot enough for you?” or “cold enough for you?”

Other comments about the weather that are common to hear, especially this time of year are:

—It’s too cold.

—It’s not fit for man nor beast out there.

—It doesn’t matter what the wind chill is, it’s just cold.

—I’m ready for spring/summer.

—The skiers are the only ones who like this kind of weather.

—You won’t hear me complain in the summer because I just don’t like the cold.

—Turn the heat up outside why don’t ya?

In the summer it’s comments such as:

—It’s too hot.

—I’m going to melt.

—I’m ready for winter.

—You won’t hear me complain in the winter because I just don’t like the heat.

—Turn the heat down outside why don’t ya?

I’m not sure which I like more or rather least, the cold or the heat. I know I enjoyed our actual fall this year and I love a good spring. But I have to say I like all the seasons, I just don’t like it when the extremes come and make themselves at home and stay a while.

But we here in Wyoming, at least for most of us born and nurtured here, we’re used to the extremes. In the Big Horn Basin, especially the lower elevations of the Basin, we’re used to when this bitter cold comes in it takes forever for it to leave.

I remember one Christmas I was in Thermopolis and it was cold. We took a trip up to relatives in Ten Sleep and it was a gorgeous winter day, with temps in the 40s I believe. And then I had to head home to Lovell and as I dropped back down so did the thermostat.

The forecast is for the bitter cold to start leaving us later this weekend. I hope they are right, but if history is any indication, I’m guessing they’ll be a few days off.

Most people in Wyoming know to bundle up in layers and you’ll see many in snow boots whether snow is on the ground or not because it keeps the feet warm.

Most people in Wyoming also know how to drive in extreme cold, or when it snows, but then there are others …

Case in point. I’m heading home earlier this week and our short snowstorm has just started but on U.S. Highway 20 south the wind is blowing making visibility limited so I’m going slow. My motto driving in bad weather is “slow and steady wins the race.” I’d rather get where I’m going five minutes later, alive and in one piece than not at all.

The person tailgating me on the highway, however, did not have the same motto. I slowed even further to allow them to pass, but I guess the driver was brave enough to tailgate me but not brave enough to pass me, except illegally later on the right side as I was making my left-hand turn onto South Flat Road.

Not all Wyoming drivers know how, or are willing to drive safe when there is bad weather and thus potentially bad road conditions. Please keep that in mind when traveling this winter.

And when driving remember to dress warmly. I was one of those who always took my coat off when driving because it was big and bulky, until my husband, out of concern, pointed out if something were to happen, such as an accident and I couldn’t get the car started or I was knocked unconscious and not dressed warmly, it would be worse than if I was enduring the bulky winter coat while driving.

So, I wear my coat and my gloves while driving, I slow down when the roads are snowpacked or icy or if it’s snowing, I know that a four-wheel drive vehicle is great for not getting stuck but can still slide on the ice. Some Wyoming drivers think a four-wheel drive can drive on anything and through anything. They’d be wrong.

So this winter, drive safely, dress warmly and when we meet we’ll talk about the weather and we’ll reminisce about that time in July when we complained about the heat.

Ah the good ol’ days.