Strong northwest flow along the crest of the Absaroka Range descended the lee slope producing sustained wind of 79 mph along State Highway 296 at Chief Joseph Pass. The wind was sustained at 56 mph or more for the better part of two hours.
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The episode as NWS RIW wrote it up.
Strong northwest flow along the crest of the Absaroka Range descended the lee slope producing sustained wind of 79 mph along State Highway 296 at Chief Joseph Pass. The wind was sustained at 56 mph or more for the better part of two hours.
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 27, 11:34 PM MST, 36 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 1134 PM MST TUE JAN 27 2009 .UPDATE... EXTENDED THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW FOR EASTERN SWEETWATER COUNTY WHERE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL REMAIN STRONG AND GFS TIMEHEIGHT SECTIONS SHOW MAXIMUM MID LEVEL WIND EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 331 PM MST TUE JAN 27 2009/ SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY TEMPERATURES VERY SLOW TO WARM MOST AREAS WITH INVERSIONS HOLDING ON STRONG. AND WHERE WIND IS BLOWING...WIND IS BLOWING OVER THE COLD SNOW KEEPING TEMPERATURES DOWN. TEMPS IN THE BIGHORN BASIN STRUGGLING IN THE SINGLE DIGITS BELOW ZERO. TIGHT GRADIENT BETWEEN SWEETWATER AND NATRONA COUNTY AS WELL AS THE UPPER WIND RIVER BASIN AND EASTERN ABSAROKAS. UPPER GREEN BASIN HAS SOME DECENT WINDS AROUND PINEDALE AS WELL. STORM SYSTEM OVER BC TO MOVE SOUTHEAST WITH JET UNDERNEATH TO MOVE INTO THE NORTH GREAT BASIN THIS EVENING AND ACROSS WYOMING WEDNESDAY MORNING. THIS WILL BRING SOME PRETTY STRONG WINDS TO THE EASTERN ABSAROKAS OVERNIGHT AND THE POTENTIAL FOR MOUNTAIN WAVE BREAKING ON THE LEE SIDE IN THE CODY FOOTHILLS. H7 WINDS CLIMB ABOVE 50KTS AND REACH 60KTS OVERNIGHT AT TIMES ACCD TO NAM12. ALSO HAVE STRONG INVERSION AT H7 AS WELL WHICH IS CONDUCIVE FOR THE MOUNTAIN WAVES TO BREAK. SO HAVE UPGRADED THE HIGH WIND WATCH TO A WARNING FROM 8 PM TO 8AM. BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY STILL VALID THROUGH 11 PM FOR SWEETWATER...SOUTHEAST FREMONT...EAST WIND RIVERS AND NATRONA COUNTY THROUGH 11 PM. CALLS FROM THESE AREAS INDICATE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES CONTINUE. SNOW HAS BEGUN TO FALL IN THE WEST THIS AFTERNOON. THIS SNOW WILL PICK UP IN INTENSITY AND SPREAD INTO THE STAR VALLEY AND WYOMING/SALT RANGES AS THE EVENING PROGRESSES. LFW JET AND ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL BRING GOOD DYNAMICS FOR THE SNOW TO INTENSIFY THROUGH MID TO LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING. THEN BAROCLINIC DYNAMICS TAKE OVER FOR THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. VERY WINDY CONDITIONS AT SUMMIT AND PASS LEVELS WILL MAKE FOR CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING. SIGNS POINT TO SOLID ADVISORY AMOUNTS IN THE FAR WEST WITH 6 TO 10 INCHES IN THE TETONS...YNP...SALTS/WYOMINGS AND 3 TO 5 INCHES IN THE STAR VALLEY...JACKSON HOLE AND AROUND BONDURANT. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WESTERN TETONS UP TO 14 INCHES. THE BULK OF THE SNOW WILL BE OVER LATE AFTERNOON SO WILL END ADVISORY AT 5 PM. AS TROUGH MOVES ACROSS MONTANA IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...SOME SNOW WILL MOVE INTO THE BIGHORNS AND NORTHERN JOHNSON COUNTY. COULD SEE SOME LOW END ADVISORY AMOUNTS HERE THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING...SO COULD NEED HIGHLIGHTS THERE. TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY TO MODERATE MOST AREAS AS INVERSIONS WEAKEN WITH COLD AIR ADVECTION MOVING IN. OVERNIGHT LOWS THURSDAY MORNING TO BE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO TEENS. RIDGE SLOWLY BUILDS IN THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WITH MUCH WARMER AIR MOVING IN...AT LEAST ALOFT. LOW LEVEL INVERSIONS MAY HOLD IN OVER THE WESTERN VALLEYS AND CENTRAL BASINS. THE EXCEPTION WILL BE IN THE WIND PRONE AREAS WHICH SHOULD WARM INTO THE 30S TO EVEN 40S. LONG TERM...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY FRIDAY LOOKS DRY WITH BREEZY AREAS IN THE USUAL SPOTS. MILDER HIGH TEMPS IN THE MIXED AREAS WITH TEMPERED WARMING IN THE BASINS WHERE INVERSIONS WILL LIKELY HOLD. NW FLOW ALOFT FOR SATURDAY WITH A WEAK SHORTWAVE PASSING THROUGH THE REGION. ENOUGH MOISTURE FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW AND POSSIBLE LIGHT SNOW IN THE NORTHERN ZONES. DRY ELSEWHERE. SLIGHTLY COOLER HIGHS ON SAT. NW FLOW AGAIN ON SUNDAY WITH SLIGHTLY COOLER HIGHS. MAINTAIN THE MOUNTAIN LIGHT SNOW AS SOME MOISTURE IS FORECAST IN THE FLOW. MONDAY AND TUESDAY LOOK WARMER AND DRIER AS THE UPPER RIDGE NUDGES TOWARD THE ROCKIES. LEFT LOW PRECIP CHANCE IN THE NW MTS MONDAY AND DRY NEXT TUE. FOR NOW A FIFTY FIFTY CHANCE THE GROUNDHOG WILL SEE ITS SHADOW NEXT MONDAY. AVIATION... CIGS WILL LOWER THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT IN THE WEST AS NORTHWEST FLOW RESUMES ACROSS THE AREA. SOUTHWEST WIND OF 25-35KT CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG THE SOUTHERN WIND CORRIDOR FROM KRKS TO KCPR. THIS COUPLED WITH RECENT SNOW WILL BRING OCCASIONAL IFR/LIFR VISIBILITIES THROUGH TONIGHT. ALSO AFFECTED WILL BE KCOD AS WESTERLY WINDS INCREASE TO 30-40 KTS OVERNIGHT. A PUSH OF MOISTURE FROM THE NORTHWEST WILL BRING SOME LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE AREA...BRINGING MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS TO KJAC BY 00Z...KPNA BY 04Z...AND KRKS BY 08Z. FIRE WEATHER... SNOW WILL RETURN TO THE WEST TONIGHT WITH SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL EXPECTED THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. ALSO...HIGH WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN THE ABSAROKAS AND CODY FOOTHILLS OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. THE REMAINDER OF THE WIND PRONE AREAS WILL BE QUITE WINDY AS WELL THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. IT WILL REMAIN COLD OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...WITH SOME WARMING THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 8 AM MST WEDNESDAY FOR WYZ002-003. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR WYZ001-012- 013-023>025. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 8 AM MST WEDNESDAY FOR WYZ030. && UPDATE...AEM SHORT TERM...TWB LONG TERM...AR AVIATION...BERC FIRE WEATHER...TWB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 352 PM MST TUE JAN 27 2009 WYZ001>020-022>030-281300- 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- 352 PM MST TUE JAN 27 2009 ...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE CODY FOOTHILLS AND ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS 5 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 AM WEDNESDAY... ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BLOWING SNOW FOR SWEETWATER...NATRONA AND SOUTHERN FREMONT COUNTY TODAY THROUGH 11 PM THIS EVENING... ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR MUCH OF FAR WEST WYOMING FOR 5 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 5 PM WEDNESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT HIGH WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN THE CODY FOOTHILLS AND EAST SLOPE OF THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS FROM 5 PM TODAY THROUGH 8 AM WEDNESDAY. WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 65 MPH ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS WITH STRONGER GUSTS NEAR THE MOUTH CLARKS FORK...SOUTH FORK AND NORTH FORK CANYONS. THE EAST SLOPE OF THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS WILL HAVE SUSTAINED WINDS OF 40 TO 55 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 85 MPH. LOCALIZED GUSTS NEAR 100 MPH ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE MORE EXPOSED LOCATIONS SUCH AS ALONG THE CHIEF JOSEPH HIGHWAY. ACROSS SECTIONS OF SOUTHERN AND EAST CENTRAL WYOMING...A SOUTHWEST TO WEST WIND OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS WILL COMBINE WITH FRESHLY FALLEN SNOW TO PRODUCE WIDESPREAD BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...CREATING GREATLY REDUCED VISIBILITY AND WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. SNOW WILL RETURN TO THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS BY THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE POTENTIAL FOR A FOOT OF SNOW EXISTS IN THE TETONS WITH 6 TO 10 INCHES IN THE REST OF THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS WITH 3 TO 5 INCHES IN THE WESTERN VALLEYS. STRONG WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS ARE POSSIBLE FROM DUBOIS TO RIVERTON THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL START IN THE UPPER WIND RIVER BASIN FOOTHILLS AND GRADUALLY WORK THEIR WAY DOWN TO THE RIVERTON AREA IN THE LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. WIND SPEEDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH ARE QUITE POSSIBLE WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE SNOW WILL CONTINUE IN THE WEST THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON WITH SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL EXPECTED. SIGNIFICANT SNOW IS POSSIBLE IN THE BIG HORN MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING AS A FAVORABLE NORTH TO SOUTH JET STREAM SETS UP OVER NORTH-CENTRAL WYOMING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY HIGH WIND SPEEDS TODAY AND TONIGHT. TEAM RIVERTON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, January 2009
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: 142836.