Heavy Snow in Wyoming, April 1, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in Wyoming, April 1, 2002
Start: 2002-04-01T22:00
End: 2002-04-01T22:00
Location: Wyoming

April 1, 2002 · NWS UNR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Local effects contributed to an oragraphic "upslope" snow event over the Bear Lodge mountains. Generally six to eight inches of snow were reported around Hulett.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS UNR wrote it up.

Local effects contributed to an oragraphic "upslope" snow event over the Bear Lodge mountains. Generally six to eight inches of snow were reported around Hulett.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Rapid City, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 1, 6:50 PM MST, 3 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 1, 6:50 PM MST, 3 hours 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
650 PM MST MON APR 1 2002

UPDATED TO PUT NE WY AND SW SD IN WNT WX ADVY FOR THIS EVENING WHERE
MOD TO HEAVY SN AND BRISK NW WINDS ARE PRODUCING FAIRLY LOW VSBYS.
MAY NEED TO FURTHER TWEAK ZONES LATER...BUT FOR NOW HAD TO GET THESE
UPDATES OUT QUICKLY.

.UNR...WIND ADVISORY NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA TONIGHT.
    ...WINT WX ADVY SW SD THIS EVENING.
    ...WINT WX ADVY NE WY THIS EVENING.
    ...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT FOR THE NORTHERN BLACK HILLS AND
    BEAR LODGE MOUNTAINS...

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Wyoming Black Hills

When: April 1, 10:00 PM MST
Where: Wyoming Black Hills forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.215, -104.569 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Wyoming in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Wyoming, April 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5290132.