Flash Flood Watch Includes Southern Albany County

The National Weather Service in Cheyenne has issued a flash flood watch for portions of southeast Wyoming, including in the Laramie area. The watch is in effect from noon today through this evening.

This includes portions of Carbon County, southern Albany County, and extreme western Laramie County and affects portions of the Sierra Madre, Snowy and Southern Laramie Mountain Ranges.

A flash flood watch means that conditions may develop that lead to flash flooding, which is a very dangerous situation.

Please monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action if a flash flood warning is issued.

The following is the watch issued by the National Weather Service:

.FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING FOR PORTIONS OF CARBON...SOUTHERN ALBANY AND EXTREME WESTERN LARAMIE COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST WYOMING INCLUDING PORTIONS OF THE SIERRA MADRE...SNOWY...AND SOUTHERN LARAMIE MOUNTAIN RANGES...

.RAINS OVER THE PREVIOUS FEW DAYS HAVE SATURATED GROUNDS IN MANY AREAS OF SOUTHERN CARBON...SOUTHERN ALBANY AND FAR WESTERN LARAMIE COUNTIES IN WYOMING. LARAMIE HAS RECEIVED NEARLY 2 INCHES OF RAINFALL IN THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS WITH SEVERAL LOCATIONS IN SOUTHERN CARBON AND ALBANY COUNTIES RECEIVING ONE HALF TO NEARLY ONE INCH OF RAIN IN THE PAST 24 HOURS. THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT AN ADDITIONAL ONE INCH OF RAINFALL WILL FALL TODAY WITH ISOLATED LOCATIONS RECEIVING A FEW INCHES OF RAIN IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME WHERE SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS PERSIST IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. THIS PATTERN COULD SET THE STAGE FOR FLASH FLOODING IN THE WATCH AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

CENTRAL CARBON COUNTY-NORTH SNOWY RANGE FOOTHILLS-SOUTHWEST CARBON COUNTY-SIERRA MADRE RANGE-UPPER NORTH PLATTE RIVER BASIN-SNOWY RANGE-LARAMIE VALLEY-SOUTH LARAMIE RANGE-

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...RAWLINS...SINCLAIR...HANNA... ARLINGTON...ELK MOUNTAIN...BAGGS...DIXON...SARATOGA... ENCAMPMENT...RIVERSIDE...CENTENNIAL...ALBANY...WOODS LANDING... LARAMIE...VEDAUWOO...BUFORD...PUMPKIN VINE

* FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL WYOMING AND SOUTHEAST WYOMING...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...IN SOUTH CENTRAL WYOMING...CENTRAL CARBON COUNTY...NORTH SNOWY RANGE FOOTHILLS...SIERRA MADRE RANGE...SNOWY RANGE...SOUTHWEST CARBON COUNTY AND UPPER NORTH PLATTE RIVER BASIN. IN SOUTHEAST WYOMING...LARAMIE VALLEY AND SOUTH LARAMIE RANGE.

* FROM NOON MDT TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING

* POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING THAT WILL MOVE SLOWLY...PRODUCING LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINS FALLING ON SATURATED GROUNDS AND IN AREAS WHERE STREAMS MAY ALREADY BE RUNNING HIGH.

* RAPID RISES OF CREEKS AND SMALL RIVERS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN AREAS DOWNSTREAM WHERE HEAVY RAINS PERSIST. ROCK OR MUD SLIDES WILL BE POSSIBLE IN STEEPLY SLOPED AREAS...ESPECIALLY AROUND MOUNTAIN PASSES AND CANYONS.