Winter Weather hit the Panhandle and Eastern Wyoming Monday Morning.  The Alliance Airport reported gusty winds up to 45 mph with wind chills in the single digits. Snow began falling around 7 am which made for icy road conditions and poor visibility.  Temperatures are expected to remain in the mid 20’s through the rest of Monday, with temps only in the 30’s for the rest of the week.  The snow has since let up, but the gusty winds continue throughout the Panhandle.  High wind warnings and winter weather advisories have been posted for most of Western Nebraska until 5 pm.  Blowing snow will continue to cause poor driving conditions through the rest of Monday.

The winter storm also caused the closure of a portion of Interstate 80 in south-central Wyoming along with other roadways in the Laramie area.

I-80 between Laramie and Rawlins was closed late Sunday and the Department of Transportation said it was likely to remain closed until at least mid-day Monday.

Roads north of Laramie also were closed while officials advised emergency travel only in much of the state Monday morning, with warnings about black ice and strong winds likely to cause drifting snow.

The National Weather Service says a 67 mph wind gust was recorded near Kaycee and a 54 mph gust was recorded south of Casper. Wind chills could drop to 5 degrees below zero in portions of Wyoming.