A tightening pressure gradient produced strong wind across some of the high basins and valleys of western Wyoming. Interstate 80 through eastern Sweetwater County was closed due to sustained wind of greater than 40 mph, which was blowing snow over the road surface.
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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.
The episode as NWS RIW wrote it up.
A tightening pressure gradient produced strong wind across some of the high basins and valleys of western Wyoming. Interstate 80 through eastern Sweetwater County was closed due to sustained wind of greater than 40 mph, which was blowing snow over the road surface. Sustained wind of 49 mph was recorded at the Dubois Airport. The strongest wind was recorded near the Green and Rattlesnake mountains and along U.S. Highway 287 between Lander and Jeffrey City. Sustained speeds reached 53 mph at Beaver Rim with a peak gust of 70 mph at Camp Creek RAWS.
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 Riverton, WY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 29, 2:56 AM MST, 2 hours 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 256 AM MST TUE JAN 29 2008 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT COLD CORE TROUGH OVER AHEAD EARLY THIS MORNING...AND WILL BE EXITING THE AREA BY DAYBREAK. ARCTIC FRONT BLASTED INTO THE NORTH YESTERDAY WITH BRIEF HIGH WINDS AROUND GREYBULL AND BUFFALO. TEMPERATURES PLUMMETED NEARLY 40 DEGREES AT BUFFALO...43 AT 10 AM... THEN -5 AT 2 PM. THE ARCTIC FRONT DIDNT MAKE IT MUCH FURTHER SOUTH THAN JOHNSON COUNTY. STRONG PRE-FRONTAL AND POST-FRONTAL WINDS OCCURRED OVER MANY AREAS...BUT QUICKLY DIMINISHED IN ALL BUT THE SWEETWATER COUNTY. TRANSITORY RIDGE BUILDS IN AFTER 12Z BEHIND DEPARTING STORM. THIS WILL BRING WARM ADVECTION MOISTURE INTO THE WEST WITH GOOD ISENTROPIC LIFT. EXPECT DECENT SNOWFALL TO BEGIN SHORTLY AFTER NOON TODAY AS THE ISENTROPIC LIFT INTENSIFIES. NEXT SYSTEM DIGGING OFF THE NORTHWEST COAST THIS MORNING WILL QUICKLY MOVE ONSHORE TODAY AND MOVE ACROSS THE ROCKIES LATE TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. THIS TROUGH DOES SPLIT BUT THERE WILL STILL BE DECENT MOISTURE AND OROGRAPHICS AS WELL AS SOME BAROCLINIC DYNAMICS. FEEL BEST SNOW WILL COME FROM THE ISENTROPIC LIFT WHICH HITS THE TETONS AND YELLOWSTONE AREAS PRETTY GOOD THROUGH 06Z TONIGHT...THEN THE TROUGH DYNAMICS TAKE OVER FOR THE NEXT 12 HOURS OR SO. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF AFTER NOON WEDNESDAY AS THE DYNAMICS EXIT TO THE EAST. WILL GO WITH SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE TETONS AND YELLOWSTONE FOR NOON (19Z) TODAY THROUGH NOON (19Z) WEDNESDAY. EXPECT 5 TO 10 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. THIS IS A FAVORABLE PATTERN FOR THE SOUTHERN HALF OF YELLOWSTONE. FEEL THE JACKSON AND STAR VALLEYS WILL BE CLOSE AS WILL BE THE SALT AND WYOMING RANGES. WILL HOLD OFF ON THESE AREA FOR NOW. GOOD GRADIENT PICKS BACK UP TODAY WITH SOUTHWEST WINDS INCREASING OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND THE TYPICAL WINDY SPOTS. OTHER AREAS SUCH AS THE WIND RIVER BASIN COULD SEE SOME WIND AS WELL. DONT EXPECT QUITE THE STRONG WINDS AS THE PAST FEW DAYS...BUT WILL BE WINDY. TRANSITORY RIDGE BUILDS IN WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH ISENTROPIC LIFT RETURNING TO THE WEST. THIS NEXT TROUGH TAKES A MORE NORTHERN TRACK SO THIS ONE COULD ACTUALLY BRING MORE SNOW OT THE WEST THAN THE ONE TONIGHT. SHOULD HAVE BETTER DYNAMICS MOVING DIRECTLY THROUGH. WINDS WILL CONTINUE AS WELL. .LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY EXTENDED FORECAST REMAINS VERY PROGRESSIVE AND UNSETTLED WITH A SERIES OF RAPIDLY MOVING SHORT WAVE LOW PRESSURE TROUGHS EJECTING EAST TROUGH A RATHER COMPLEX LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC AND WESTERN U.S. SIGNIFICANT SPREAD DEVELOPS IN THE ENSEMBLES ON FRIDAY AND BECOMES PROGRESSIVELY LARGER OVER THE WESTERN U.S. WITH OTHER LARGE SPREADS DEVELOPING IN THE GULF OF ALASKA AS WELL AS OVER THE HUDSON BAY AREA IN CANADA. OVERALL WESTERLY FLOW SHOULD RESULT...BUT THE TIMING OF SHORT WAVE RIDGES AND TROUGHS AND THEIR IMPACT ON PRECIPITATION/CLEARING PERIODS SEEMS BEYOND THE ABILITY OF RESOLUTION WITH THE MODELS AT THIS TIME. OVERALL EXTENDED FORECAST KEEPS PRECIPITATION CHANCES HIGHEST IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AND LOWEST IN THE LEE OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. MODEL TEMPERATURES REMAIN ON THE COOL SIDE BUT THE IMPACT OF CLOUD COVER...PRECIPITATION AND MIXING DUE TO PERIODS OF STRONG DOWNSLOPE WINDS WILL LIKELY HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON DAILY HIGHS AND LOWS AND WILL LIKELY CAUSE A MUCH GREATER DAY TO DAY CHANGE IN TEMPERATURES THAN IS CURRENTLY DEPICTED IN THE FORECAST OR IN THE VARIOUS MODEL OUTPUT. FAIR CONFIDENCE WITH HIGH PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION IN THE WEST ON FRIDAY WHEN ADVISORY SNOW AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE...THEN THE CONFIDENCE IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST DECREASES RAPIDLY THROUGH TUESDAY. && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL TODAY OVER THE REGION. IN THE FAR WEST CLOUDS WILL BE LOWERING AFTER 20Z WITH LIGHT SNOW DEVELOPING. THIS WILL LEAD TO MVFR CONDITIONS AROUND KJAC AIRPORT...WHICH WILL LOWER TO IFR CONDITIONS AROUND AND AFTER 00Z WED. BREEZY TO WINDY WEATHER WILL OCCUR FROM KRKS TO KCPR TODAY. && .FIRE WEATHER... ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW WILL IMPACT THE WEST LATER TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR THE TETONS AND YELLOWSTONE WITH 5 TO 10 INCHES EXPECTED THERE. LESSER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS. WINDS WILL INCREASE ONCE AGAIN OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH. ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE IN FOR THURSDAY BRINGING MORE SNOW AND WIND. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SNOW ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 12 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR WYZ001- 012. && SHORT TERM...TWB LONG TERM...C.BAKER AVIATION...AR FIRE WEATHER...TWB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 501 AM MST TUE JAN 29 2008 WYZ001>020-022>030-301201- ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS-BIGHORN MOUNTAINS SOUTHEAST- BIGHORN MOUNTAINS WEST-CASPER MOUNTAIN-CODY FOOTHILLS- EAST SWEETWATER COUNTY-FLAMING GORGE- GREEN MOUNTAINS AND RATTLESNAKE RANGE-JACKSON HOLE-LANDER FOOTHILLS- NATRONA COUNTY LOWER ELEVATIONS-NORTH BIG HORN BASIN- NORTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY-OWL CREEK AND BRIDGER MOUNTAINS- ROCK SPRINGS AND GREEN RIVER-SALT RIVER AND WYOMING RANGES- SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-SOUTHEAST BIG HORN BASIN- SOUTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY-SOUTHWEST BIG HORN BASIN-STAR VALLEY- TETON AND GROS VENTRE MOUNTAINS-UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN- UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN FOOTHILLS-UPPER WIND RIVER BASIN- WIND RIVER BASIN-WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS EAST-WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS WEST- YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK- 501 AM MST TUE JAN 29 2008 ...SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE TETONS AND YELLOWSTONE PARK FROM NOON TODAY THROUGH NOON WEDNESDAY... .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO IMPACT WESTERN WYOMING TODAY. THE TETONS AND YELLOWSTONE PARK ARE EXPECTED BE IMPACTED THE MOST WITH 5 TO 10 INCHES BY NOON WEDNESDAY. THE REMAINDER OF THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS ARE EXPECTED TO RECEIVE 3 TO 8 INCHES...AND THE VALLEYS 1 TO 3 INCHES. WEST WINDS OF 35 TO 35 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS AT SUMMIT AND PASS LEVEL WILL CAUSE FREQUENT WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS WILL IMPACT THE SOUTH AND CENTRAL TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING SNOW TO THE WEST THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL TOTALS. THANK YOU. TEAM RIVERTON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, January 2008
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: 67403, 67404, 67405.