A microburst like the one pictured above is a column of rapidly sinking air — and sometimes precipitation — in a thunderstorm. 

Drivers traveling south along the Lincoln Highway towards Laramie earlier this week were quickly approaching this fall, as well as another one.

Saturday is, in fact, the first day of autumn. The sun has already started to shine with a harder, yellow tint, matching the rapidly yellowing leaves that signal hunters to take up their bows and guns and head into the woods. That is, those who have tags and want to use them after last winter’s brutality.

Thin lines streak down faintly from a cloud overlooking the prairie. Fresh rain can be seen glistening off of the roadway
A microburst dissipates, leaving precipitation in its wake. (Madelyn Beck/WyoFile)

Teachers and students have returned to the classroom, often lamenting what adventures did not occur over the last few months, but looking forward to who they can become with a new year.

Yes, the season of football, Halloween and gourds is upon us. A time of harvest, thankfulness and preparing for a Wyoming winter that residents know can shake their faith even in the trustiest car or truck. 

As the cold settles in, know that it may also signal deepening isolation amongst your fellow residents. Seasonal Affective Disorder affects many of us. There is a 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to call or text, but communities will also have to continue to work together to make sure our neighbors make it to the next summer.

We all fall sometimes.

Madelyn Beck reports from Laramie on health and public safety. Before working with WyoFile, she was a public radio journalist reporting for NPR stations across the Mountain West, covering regional issues...

Join the Conversation

1 Comment

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for: 

  • Your real name — first and last. 
  • Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
  • The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
  • Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
  • Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
  • No more than three comments per story, including replies. 

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

  • Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
  • Comments that are not directly relevant to the article. 
  • Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
  • Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
  • Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know: 

  • Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement. 
  • We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
  • We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance. 
  • Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
  • We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you. 

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Good article in a thinking perspective. In terms of the lead in, I would have liked to know a little more about microbursts and the reasons they occur. Thanks,
    Madelyn Beck.

    Reply