Strengthening west to southwest winds aloft in combination with an unstable atmosphere produced high wind from Sweetwater County northeast into Natrona County. Peak wind gusts of 60 to 63 mph were recorded.
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The episode as NWS RIW wrote it up.
Strengthening west to southwest winds aloft in combination with an unstable atmosphere produced high wind from Sweetwater County northeast into Natrona County. Peak wind gusts of 60 to 63 mph were recorded.
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 Mar 26, 7:43 AM MST, 3 hours 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 843 AM MDT WED MAR 26 2008 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATED TO ADD YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK AND THE JACKSON VALLEY TO THE SNOW ADVISORY. SATELLITE IS INDICATING VERY DYNAMIC BAROCLINIC BOUNDARY HEADING TOWARD THE FAR NW WITH JET INDUCED TRANSVERSE BANDING OCCURRING. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW THAT IS CURRENTLY IN EASTERN IDAHO WILL MOVE INTO THE FAR WEST AS THIS BOUNDARY SAGS SOUTH. SNOWFALL RATES COULD BE QUITE INTENSE FOR A FEW HOURS INTO THE AFTERNOON. WILL LEAVE OUT THE STAR VALLEY FOR NOW AND SEE HOW FAR SOUTH THIS BAND SINKS. 1 TO 2 INCHES HAS ALREADY FALLEN IN THE JACKSON VALLEY FROM THE MUCH WEAKER ISENTROPIC LIFT AREA. STRONG (155KT) JET STREAM APPROACHING THE NORTHERN CA/OREGON COASTLINE EARLY THIS MORNING. WEAK ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE IN THE SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT EXPECTED TO BRING AREAS OF LIGHT SNOW TO THE FAR WEST EARLY THIS MORNING. THE ASSOCIATED FRONTOGENETIC FORCING WITH THE STRONG PACIFIC JET WILL PRODUCE SEVERAL HOURS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW DURING THE LATE MORNING HOURS OVER THE FAR WEST...SHIFTING EASTWARD TO THE WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS AROUND MID-DAY ALONG A STRONG MID-LEVEL FRONT/BAROCLINICITY ZONE. GOOD INSTABILITY ALONG WITH A MOIST WESTERLY FLOW WILL KEEP OROGRAPHIC SNOW SHOWERS GOING IN THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. ISSUED A SNOW ADVISORY BASED ON FAVORABLE JET POSITION FOR STRONG FRONTOGENESIS OVER THE WEST ALONG WITH GOOD ATMOSPHERIC LAPSE RATES AND A FAVORABLE VERTICAL TEMPERATURE PROFILE FOR EFFICIENT DENDRITIC SNOW CRYSTAL GROWTH FOR THE TETON...GROS VENTRE...SALT AND WYOMING RANGES...AND WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS FOR TODAY. DECIDED TO LEAVE WESTERN VALLEY AREAS OUT OF THE ADVISORY WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW TO MID 30S KEEPING IMPACT TO TRAVEL AT A MINIMUM. ONE AREA OF CONCERN THAT MAY SEE ENOUGH MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW IS THE THE NORTHERN END OF THE JACKSON VALLEY BETWEEN MOOSE AND MORAN JUNCTION WHERE SEVERAL INCHES OF ACCUMULATIONS IN A COUPLE OF HOURS LIKELY TO STICK TO HIGHWAY 26/89 FOR SEVERAL HOURS OF SNOWPACKED ROADWAYS. VERY STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS FROM ROCK SPRINGS NORTHEAST TO CASPER EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON WITH MANY AREAS EXPERIENCING HIGH WINDS. ISSUED HIGH WIND WARNING FOR EASTERN SWEETWATER COUNTY NORTHEASTWARD TO GREEN MOUNTAINS AND RATTLESNAKE RANGE..EAST INTO NATRONA COUNTY. SUSTAINED SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH EXPECTED FOR THE ROCK SPRINGS AND CASPER AREAS. SUSTAINED SOUTHWEST WINDS FROM 40 TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 65 MPH ARE EXPECTED FOR THE GREEN MOUNTAINS AND RATTLESNAKE RANGE DURING THE AFTERNOON. BRIEF BREAK IN THE SNOW OVER THE WEST AS NEXT SHORT-WAVE TROUGH RACING EASTWARD FROM THE PACIFIC MOVES IN THURSDAY MORNING. BEST MID-LEVEL LIFT/FORCING FARTHER SOUTH WITH THIS SYSTEM...ALTHOUGH STRONG WESTERLY FLOW IN AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WILL PROVIDE NEAR ADVISORY AMOUNTS FOR THE WESTERN SLOPES OF THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. PLENTY OF WIND WITH THIS FEATURE AS WELL WITH WIDESPREAD 35 TO 45 KTS AT H7 AND A STRONG SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT PROGGED FOR MID- DAY THURSDAY FROM ROCK SPRINGS EASTWARD TO CASPER. THIS SCENARIO WILL BE MONITORED CLOSELY FOR POTENTIAL HIGH WINDS IN THE WIND CORRIDOR. FLOW BACKS DURING THE DAY FRIDAY AHEAD OF THE NEXT SHORT-WAVE TROUGH. LATEST GFS SOMEWHAT SLOWER TO DEVELOP ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE SNOW OVER THE WEST...BUT CONSISTENT WITH DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG SURFACE LOW OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA FRIDAY EVENING. STRONG WINDS ALONG WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL EXPECTED FOR FRIDAY NIGHT AS A RESULT. .LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MEDIUM RANGE MODELS IN AGREEMENT THAT ANOTHER POTENT SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE AREA LATE IN THE SHORT TERM INTO THE DAY ON SATURDAY. THE 00Z GFS IS SLIGHTLY FASTER THAN THE ECMWF...BUT NOT BY MUCH. LOOKS LIKE DECENT ACCUMULATING SNOW OUT WEST ONCE AGAIN...WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED ACTIVITY EAST OF THE DIVIDE...WITH STRONG BAROCLINICITY AND QG FORCING ENHANCING SNOWFALL RATES. WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ON SATURDAY WITH THIS SYSTEM. MODELS QUICKLY DRY OUT THE AREA BY SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY...EVEN THOU THERE ARE EMBEDDED DISTURBANCES IN THE WEST NORTHWEST FLOW BEHIND THE INITIAL UPPER LOW. WILL KEEP POPS ONGOING...ESPECIALLY OUT WEST. SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY APPEARS TO BE MAINLY DRY...AS THE DEEP PACIFIC MOISTURE WILL BE CUT OFF...BY A DIGGING/PROGRESSIVE TROUGH IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC. HOWEVER...SOME OROGRAPHICS AND WEAK DISTURBANCES COULD PRODUCE SOME LIGHT SNOW AND WILL KEEP LOW POPS GOING...ESPECIALLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS. HAVE DISCARDED THE 00Z ECMWF SOLUTION FOR NOW WHICH IS PRODUCING SOME QPF ACROSS THE SOUTH AND EASTERN AREAS OF THE FORECAST AREA. THIS SEEMS TO BE FROM SOME ENERGY RELATED TO THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF A 130KT. THE GFS IS WEAKER WITH THE UPPER JET AND NOT AS WELL DEFINED. HOWEVER...THIS WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED. THE FOCUS FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY FOCUSES ON SOUTHERN STREAM TROUGH PUSHING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES/NORTHERN MEXICO...AND WEAK DISTURBANCES IN THE NORTHERN STREAM. THE ECMWF IS A BIT MORE ACTIVE THAN THE GFS IN THE NORTHERN STREAM. WILL HAVE MAINLY SLIGHT CHANCE/LOW CHANCE POPS OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND LOWER ELEVATIONS WEST OF THE DIVIDE...WITH MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS EAST OF THE DIVIDE. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR SEASONAL LEVELS FOR SATURDAY AHEAD OF THE FRONT...AND BELOW AVERAGE SUNDAY AND MONDAY BEHIND THE FRONT. A WARMING TREND WILL OCCUR NEXT WEEK...WITH NEAR NORMAL TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. && .AVIATION... WEST FLOW AHEAD OF A PACIFIC LOW PRESSURE TROUGH MOVING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL BRING AREAS OF STRONG WIND ACROSS SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL AREAS EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE IN AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS. MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE IN THE WEST WITH AREAS OF SNOW ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS WITH SOME RAIN OR RAIN MIXED WITH SNOW IN THE VALLEYS...TURNING TO ALL SNOW BY EVENING. WIDESPREAD MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS WILL OCCUR WITH IFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES OVER THE MOUNTAINS. A COLD FRONT WILL REMAIN STALLED OVER CENTRAL WYOMING. THE COLD FRONT WILL BRING LOWERING CEILINGS TO THE NORTH AND EAST WITH AREAS OF LIGHT SNOW AND SOME RAIN ACROSS THE BIG HORN BASIN... AND JOHNSON COUNTY IN THE NORTHEAST PRODUCING MVFR CONDITIONS IN LOW CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION WITH LOCAL IFR CEILINGS. && .FIRE WEATHER... STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE DISTRICT AS WELL AS IN THE HIGH COUNTRY TODAY. SNOW WILL CONTINUE OVER THE MOUNTAINS OVER THE WEST WITH A BRIEF BREAK LATE TONIGHT. SNOW AND WIND WILL RETURN ON THURSDAY AS ANOTHER POTENT STORM SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE AREA. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM MDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR WYZ019-020-030. SNOW ADVISORY FROM 6 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM MDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR WYZ001-012>014-015-024. HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM MDT FRIDAY FOR WYZ028. && UPDATE...SKRBAC SHORT TERM...CHURCH LONG TERM...WM AVIATION...C.BAKER FIRE WEATHER...CHURCH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 836 AM MDT WED MAR 26 2008 WYZ001>020-022>030-271100- 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- 836 AM MDT WED MAR 26 2008 ...SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF FAR WESTERN WYOMING TODAY... ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN SWEETWATER COUNTY...GREEN MOUNTAINS AND RATTLESNAKE RANGE...AND NATRONA COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE WEST THIS MORNING AND BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES ARE EXPECTED IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS...WITH 2 TO 6 INCHES IN THE WESTERN VALLEYS BY THIS EVENING. VERY WINDY CONDITIONS ARE ALSO EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON FROM ROCK SPRINGS NORTHEAST TO CASPER. SUSTAINED WEST TO SOUTHWEST WIND BETWEEN 30 AND 45 MPH...WITH GUSTS AROUND 65 MPH ARE EXPECTED IN THIS AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE WEST DURING THE DAY THURSDAY. YET ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO WESTERN AREAS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AND WINDS OVER 40 MPH TODAY. 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, March 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: 83787, 83779, 83786.