- Large hail
- Downslope wind
- Tornadoes
- Flash flooding
- Frozen pipes
Housing mix: 1900s brick homes in the Avenues, post-war ranches, newer east-side subdivisions.
A hail city by geography
Cheyenne sits at about 6,000 feet on the plains east of the Laramie Range, at the northern end of the hail corridor that runs along the Front Range. Afternoon storms build over the mountains and cross Laramie County quickly, often with hail driven on a strong west wind. Many Cheyenne homeowners can name more than one roof they’ve replaced.
The city has history with severe weather. On July 16, 1979, a tornado tore through north Cheyenne and the area around the airport, damaging hundreds of homes and businesses — still counted among the most destructive tornadoes in Wyoming. On August 1, 1985, a stalled thunderstorm dropped heavy rain and hail on the city in a few hours; the flash flood that followed killed twelve people and left hail piled in drifts.
Housing and claim patterns
Cheyenne’s housing mix runs from early-1900s brick homes around the Avenues and the Rainsford Historic District, to post-war and 1970s ranches in neighborhoods like Sun Valley and Western Hills, to newer subdivisions on the east and north sides and acreage homes in the ranchettes. Each brings its own disputes: older homes with discontinued siding and plaster interiors; mid-century ranches with layered roofs; newer homes with matching problems on stucco, stone veneer or composite siding.
What we see most in Laramie County
- Hail claims approved on west and north slopes only, with the siding and windows on the same elevations missed.
- Repeated hail claims where the carrier attributes damage to an earlier storm.
- Wind-creased shingles written off as age.
- Winter pipe bursts in older homes with exterior-wall plumbing.
- Commercial and multifamily roofs along the Dell Range and I-80 corridors.
Services available in Cheyenne
Every Wyoming Insurance Appraiser service is available to property owners in Cheyenne and the rest of Laramie County:
- Appraisal Clause Representation
- Homeowner Claim Appraisal
- Commercial, HOA & Multifamily
- Roof & Hail Claim Appraisal
- Wind & Tornado Claim Appraisal
- Water & Burst Pipe Claim Appraisal
- Fire & Smoke Claim Appraisal
- Wildfire, Ember & Smoke Appraisal
- Snow Load & Ice Dam Appraisal
- Insurance Estimate Review
- Umpire Services
Questions from Cheyenne property owners
How often does Cheyenne get damaging hail?
Laramie County has one of the highest hail frequencies in the United States, and damaging storms affect parts of the Cheyenne area most summers. Any single property may go several years between losses, or see two in a row.
Does a prior hail claim on my house hurt a new one?
It can complicate it. Carriers sometimes argue damage is from an earlier storm. Photos after each repair and dated weather records help separate events.