An afternoon dust devil caused damage in a Jamestown neighborhood.
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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.
An afternoon dust devil caused damage in a Jamestown neighborhood.
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 May 18, 1:52 AM MST, 11 hours 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 252 AM MDT SUN MAY 18 2008 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT THE STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGE RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING CENTRAL AND WESTERN WYOMING WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES IS CENTERED JUST OFF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST. THIS RIDGE WILL FLATTEN SOMEWHAT TODAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL SHORT-WAVE TROUGH APPROACHES THE WASHINGTON STATE COAST. H7 TEMPERATURES...HOWEVER...CONTINUE TO WARM AS THE MID- LEVEL THERMAL RIDGE GETS SHUNTED EASTWARD OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING TODAY. WIDESPREAD HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 80S WILL BE COMMON IN THE LOWER AND MID ELEVATION LOCATIONS THIS AFTERNOON. BREEZY NORTHWEST WINDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AS THE FLOW AT H7 GRADUALLY INCREASES DURING THE DAY AND MIXES DOWN THE SURFACE. AS THE APEX OF THE RIDGE SHIFTS EASTWARD THIS AFTERNOON...SOME MID-LEVEL MOISTURE WILL WORK INTO NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING. DECIDED TO ADD ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO THE FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING IN THE NORTHWEST AND BIGHORN MOUNTAINS WITH A FEW HIGH BASED STORMS POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS AS THE MOISTURE COMBINES WITH A CONDITIONALLY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. THE RIDGE AMPLIFIES SOMEWHAT ON MONDAY AND THE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT INCREASES EAST OF THE DIVIDE...PUSHING A MAINLY DRY COLD FRONT SOUTHWARD THROUGH JOHNSON AND NATRONA COUNTIES. A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS OR HIGH BASED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY AFTERNOON IN THESE AREAS...MAINLY OVER THE EASTERN BIGHORN MOUNTAINS AS THE UPSLOPE NORTHEASTERLY FLOW AIDS IN UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION. THE STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGE RETROGRADES TUESDAY AS A STRONG CLOSED LOW MOVES INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THE STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE IS EXPECTED TO BRING THE WARMEST TEMPERATURES THIS YEAR TO MOST OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING TUESDAY AFTERNOON. GFS AND ECMWF FINALLY COMING IN LINE WITH ON ANOTHER REGARDING THE TIMING OF THE ASSOCIATED STRONG SURFACE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE THROUGH EXTREME NORTHWEST WYOMING LATE TUESDAY NIGHT/WEDNESDAY MORNING. SMALLER STREAMS AND CREEKS WILL HAVE TO BE CLOSELY MONITORED MONDAY INTO TUESDAY AS SNOWMELT RATES CONTINUE TO INCREASE. .LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY MAJOR TROUGH STILL EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE GREAT BASIN WEDNESDAY AND POSSIBLY HANG AROUND THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THIS SYSTEM IS CURRENTLY OUT NEAR 42N 150W. KEY TO THIS SYSTEM IS MASS OF COLD AIR POURING INTO WESTERN PACIFIC TROUGH WILL PUMP UP THE RIDGE TO ITS EAST THUS ALLOWING THE ERN PACIFIC SYSTEM TO DIG SWD AND INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES ONSHORE. MAJOR DIFFERENCES EXIST ON THE EXACT LOCATION AND HOW MUCH ENERGY DRIVES SWD WITH THE SECONDARY FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SYSTEM. THE ECMWF IS MUCH FURTHER WEST WITH THE WED/THU SYSTEM STALLING THE SYSTEM OUT OVER UTAH AND ERN NEVADA WHICH WOULD BE IDEAL FOR SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. THE GFS IS FURTHER WEST AND SOUTH INTO NEVADA AND EVENTUALLY CALIFORNIA. THE EXACT TRACK MAY NOT BE AS SIGNIFICANT AS USUAL AS AN EXPECTED UPSLOPE FLOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AS HIGH PRESSURE GRADUALLY SAGS SOUTH OUT OF CANADA. THIS UPSLOPE PATTERN WILL SET THE STAGE FOR OVERRUNNING PCPN AS JET STREAK DYNAMICS MOVE ACROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. THE ECMWF HAS THE SECOND SYSTEM MUCH STRONGER AND FURTHER SOUTH AND WEST THEN THE GFS. FOR EXAMPLE AT 12Z SATURDAY...THE GFS HAS THE UPPER LOW OVER SRN IDAHO WHILE THE ECMWF HAS THE LOW OVER EAST CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. HAVE HIT THE POPS HARDER DURING MUCH OF THIS PERIOD...ESPECIALLY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. IF THE UPSLOPE SETS UP AS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY...HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY STILL TOO WARM. && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AT ALL TAF SITES THROUGH THIS EVENING. CONSIDERABLE HIGH CLOUDINESS IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTH TO SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA TODAY...EXITING THE AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON. A BIT MORE MOISTURE WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE ATMOSPHERE TODAY...FOR A FEW THUNDERSTORMS TO OCCUR OVER THE NORTHWEST AND NORTHERN HIGH COUNTRY. HOWEVER...THIS ACTIVITY IS NOT EXPECTED TO MAKE IT INTO THE LOWER ELEVATIONS...BUT THIS WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED. HAVE PUT IN CB IN THE AFTERNOON AT KJAC AND KCOD TAFS FOR THIS POSSIBILITY. EXPECT FAIRLY STRONG /15 TO 25KT/ WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS AT MOST LOCATIONS...ESPECIALLY THIS AFTERNOON AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS...DUE TO A LEE SIDE TROUGH. && .FIRE WEATHER... VERY WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OVER THE WESTERN U.S. AN AREA OF MID- LEVEL MOISTURE MAY PRODUCE ISOLATED HIGH BASED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHWEST AND BIGHORN MOUNTAINS TODAY AND MONDAY DURING THE AFTERNOON. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE MOST AREAS TODAY AND CONTINUE INTO MONDAY. AS THE RIDGE BEGINS TO SHIFT WESTWARD ON TUESDAY...SOUTHWEST WIND WILL BE ON THE INCREASE. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO BE VERY WARM TO HOT ALONG WITH LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS. CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE TUESDAY NIGHT ...ESPECIALLY IN THE WEST AND NORTH. A STRONG COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE DISTRICT WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK BECOMING RATHER WET WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING TO BELOW AVERAGE BY THURSDAY. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...CHURCH LONG TERM...SKRBAC AVIATION...WM FIRE WEATHER...CHURCH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 506 AM MDT SUN MAY 18 2008 WYZ001>020-022>030-191100- 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- 506 AM MDT SUN MAY 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE WARMING TREND WILL CONTINUE MONDAY AND TUESDAY. THE ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT SNOWMELT IN THE MOUNTAINS. EXPECT AN INCREASE IN WATER LEVELS STREAMS AND CREEKS AS A RESULT. THE VERY WARM TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO COME TO AN END WEDNESDAY AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. THIS MID WEEK STORM SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BRING SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS WITH HIGH MOUNTAIN SNOWFALL WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. TEAM RIVERTON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 dust devil. Local standard time, as filed.
A dust devil tore down parts of two fences in a residential area in Jamestown near Green River. Tin roofing from a barn was wrapped around a power pole as a result of the dust devil.
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, May 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: 96721.