Big Piney records new high temp Monday

PINEDALE (WNE) — Known as the “Icebox of the Nation,” Big Piney was one of several communities to experience record-breaking high temperatures this week, according to the National Weather Service in Riverton. 

On Monday, Jan. 12, the weather station located at the Big Piney Airport recorded a high of 46 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking the previous record of 41 degrees set on Jan. 12, 1999.

It was still far cooler in Big Piney than elsewhere around Wyoming. 

The National Weather Service in Riverton reported 54 degrees in Riverton, 63 degrees in Buffalo, and 60 degrees in Lander on Jan. 12.

Big Piney also experienced record warmth last month, with the warmest December in station history, according to the National Weather Service in Riverton. The average temperature of 27.6 degrees was nearly 15 degrees above normal. The town was also the wettest in the state last month, recording 0.67 inches of precipitation in December.

Big Piney earned the title of “Ice Box of the Nation” in 1930 when it received a government weather station and recorded the coldest year-round average temperature in the United States.

This story was published on Jan. 15, 2026.