High Wind Delays and Safety Risks on Wyoming I-80: Real RV Experiences

[Big_John]

I live in Colorado, but found a great deal on a '25 Camper and drove to Omaha to pick it up. I couldn't drive back over the high elevation passes due to snow and ice on my way home to the Western Slope, so decided to run I80 for a while and then dip south.

Yep, we arrived in Cheyenne, only to learn that every vehicle, other than a 20,000 wt rig could drive west, because of "High Wind". So we hung out at WalMart for 2 hours.. ate lunch at Outback..... and then HomeDepot for 2 hours... and then we drove Hwy 210 to Lincoln Memorial. We enjoyed the history and the area for about an hour and THEN..... BANG... the wind restriction lifted. We jumped on the interstate and boogied.... as we knew that the next morning, a RED FLAG warning was back into effect, starting at 10am. We drove the three hours on I80, without issue... and then headed south to Craig, CO and to Rifle.

Be aware ..... if you are headed East or West through Wyoming..... you could be delayed. It is NOT worth the risk to get on the Interstate, as many rigs and Semi's are tipped over.... and.... it is a $750 fine.

 

[Tom]

.... many rigs and Semi's are tipped over.... and.... it is a $750 fine.

$750 for being blown over by the wind

We've experienced similar issues on I80 heading West through/from Wyoming.

 

[Isaac-1]

One should certainly be careful on I-80, when on the way to Yellowstone in 2017, an 18 wheeler tanker blew over right behind me at the pass just east of Laramie. I did not see it, but when I pulled into the rest area by the pass I noticed no more traffic was west bound behind me, and the person at the visitor's center desk told me an 18 wheeler tanker had just blown over into the median (I assume they got the police alert) just about a mile away and was blocking traffic both directions on I-80. When I left there a few minutes later, I saw the police were out forcing all east bound traffic to make a U turn and head back into Laramie.

 

[John From Detroit]

$750 for being blown over by the wind

We've experienced similar issues on I80 heading West through/from Wyoming.

$750 fine would be the least of it.. The damage to the rig. the cost of "Recovery" service (Multiple hours at I have no idea what they charge now but those wreckers wer 150/hr back when was on the dispatch job) That's gonna hurt.


If there is a high wind warning you really should "Hunker down" head (or tail) into the wind for max stability. Not broadside to it

 

[UTTransplant]

One of the things you learn about RVing is to always check weather conditions, especially wind. Doesn’t matter where you are or where you are going, though Wyoming is pretty famous for wind shutdowns. But we have had them in Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, and New Mexico, so it isn’t a local thing.

 

[Larry N.]

I'll add Colorado to the blow-over states -- it can be pretty mean at times.

 

[Tom]

One time, we were headed over the Tehachepis from Bakersfield, CA (and had a reservation at California City). I hadn't checked the weather. A patrol car was blocking the exit ramp, and the officer was literally hanging on to the door of our coach to help stand upright. He asked where we were headed and, when I told him, he said "I can't let you go there; The wind is really high and we've already had a big rig blow over".

We continued on to Barstow and found somewhere for the night. I called the campground in California City to apologize for not showing up. The lady replied "no problem, we've received a number of calls, and several vehicles have blown over in this area".

 

[Lou Schneider]

One time, we were headed over the Tehachepis from Bakersfield, CA (and had a reservation at California City. I hadn't checked the weather. A patrol car was blocking the exit ramp, and the officer was literally hanging on the door of our coach to help stand upright. He asked where we were headed and, when I told him, he said "I can't let you go there; The wind is really high and we've already had a big rig blow over".

We continued on to Barstow and found somewhere for the night. I called the campground in California City to apologize for not showing up. The lady replied "no problem, we've received a number of calls, and several vehicles have blown over in this area".

I don't know when you went through but about a decade ago CA built a wind fence across the first overpass east of the mouth of the canyon. Continuing straight on the highway in either direction was fine because you were aligned with the wind but unloaded big rigs were getting blown over if they tried to cross the highway perpendicular to the wind.

I had a transmitter on the communications tower adjacent to that interchange and found if I really had to get there I could sneak around the roadblocks by backtracking on the frontage road from the next exit.

 

[Tom]

I don't know when you went through but about a decade ago CA built a wind fence across the first overpass east of the mouth of the canyon. Continuing straight on the highway in either direction was fine because you were aligned with the wind but unloaded big rigs were getting blown over if they tried to cross the highway perpendicular to the wind.

I had a transmitter on the communications tower adjacent to that interchange and found if I really had to get there I could sneak around the roadblocks by backtracking on the frontage road from the next exit.

Lou, that "overturned big rig" story was from 15-20 years ago. We've been over that road countless times since, but mainly by car in the winter time (when we had 2 doggies and couldn't fly). I must admit I hadn't noticed the wind fence.

 

[richclover]

I’ve pulled a travel trailer from Cheyenne to Evanston, I-80, with a “mostly” headwind. 40, gusting 50. Driving 50 mph put hurricane force winds on the front of the camper. Wife and I were watching the front of it closely. Luckily nothing broke loose and no skin or roof separated. We’ve seen the related stories here. Don’t ask about fuel mileage

This could make life interesting on I-15:

 

[John From Detroit]

I recall 2007 when I found myself driving a 14MPG class A (100 mph tail wind)
Before that I was chatting with a fellow RVing ham radio operator who decided to call it a day and overnight at a truck stop.. He called the RV park he had reservations at and they said no problem you can't check in today anyhow.. A class A exiting the park (Very low speed) got hit with a gust and blew over blocking the in/out drive. Parking lot speeds likely 10mph or less and it flipped.

Imaging driving 50 or 60 or 70 MPH under those conditions (no thank you)