Peak wind gusts over 70 mph were recorded in eastern sections of Fremont and Sweetwater counties as the result of a strong pressure gradient. Measured gusts included 74 mph at Camp Creek RAWS and 73 mph at Snow Springs RAWS.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
Peak wind gusts over 70 mph were recorded in eastern sections of Fremont and Sweetwater counties as the result of a strong pressure gradient. Measured gusts included 74 mph at Camp Creek RAWS and 73 mph at Snow Springs RAWS. Spotters at the Buckboard Marina on the west shore of Flaming Gorge Reservoir estimated wind gusts up to 70 mph. The high wind toppled at least three power lines and ripped down a large commercial sign in Rock Springs. Problems with the downed power lines and a circuit breaker caused nearly 3,000 Rock Springs customers to lose power. In northern Wyoming, strong west-northwest flow produced sustained wind of 63 mph over Chief Joseph Pass.
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 6, 9:35 PM MST, 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 935 PM MST TUE JAN 6 2009 .UPDATE...UPGRADED WYZ 2 AND 19 TO HIGH WIND WARNING. CROSS- SECTIONS CONTINUE TO SHOW 65-70KT WIND OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY...AND 50 KNOTS NEAR 750MB OVER THE GREEN AND RATTLESNAKE RANGES BETWEEN 9Z-15Z WEDNESDAY. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 328 PM MST TUE JAN 6 2009/ SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY ISENTROPIC LIFT ON THE FRONT SIDE OF FLAT RIDGE CONTINUES IN THE WEST TODAY. LIGHT SNOW HAS FALLEN ALL DAY IN THE FAR WEST WITH PORTIONS OF THE STAR VALLEY PICKING UP 4 TO 5 INCHES SINCE LAST EVENING. A MOIST PACIFIC FLOW MOVES INTO THE WEST THIS EVENING INTENSIFYING THE SNOW. THIS FLOW CONTINUES THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON BEFORE THE PLUME LOOSES ITS INTENSITY. STRONG SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS TO ACCOMPANY THE SNOWFALL AT MOUNTAIN TOP AND PASS LEVELS...PRODUCING SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. BEST SNOWFALL WILL BE IN THE TETONS...YELLOWSTONE...JACKSON HOLE AND TOGWOTEE PASS AREAS...SO WILL UPGRADE THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES TO WARNINGS. HAVE ALSO UPGRADED STAR VALLEY TO A WARNING SINCE THEY HAVE ALREADY PICKED UP 4 TO 5 INCHES. SNOTELS IN THE SALTS/WYOMING RANGES INDICATE ONLY A FEW INCHES SO WILL KEEP THEM AT ADVISORIES. AS FOR THE WIND RIVERS...ISSUING AN ADVISORY FOR THE EAST SLOPES FOR UP TO A FOOT OF SNOW ON TOGWOTEE PASS AND STRONG WINDS OVER SOUTH PASS PRODUCING THE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...THOUGH LITTLE SNOWFALL. WILL ALSO KEEP ADVISORY GOING FOR THE ABSAROKAS. WILL LET ALL WINTER HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEST GO THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY. ISENTROPIC LIFT TO ALSO BRING SNOW TO THE BIGHORNS TONIGHT WITH 5 TO 10 INCHES POSSIBLE THERE BY NOON WEDNESDAY. HAVE INCLUDED THEM IN AN ADVISORY AS WELL. WINDS GET CRANKING PRETTY GOOD OVERNIGHT AS THE GRADIENT TIGHTENS WITH HIGH WINDS A POSSIBILITY OVER THE GREEN MOUNTAINS AFTER MIDNIGHT. PROBLEM I SEE WITH THIS...EVEN WITH 50KT AT H7...IS THAT THE H7 GRADIENT IS NORTHWEST...WHILE SFC GRADIENT IS SOUTHWEST. THESE CONDITIONS PERSIST THROUGH THE DAY WEDNESDAY...DIMINISHING AFTER 00Z. WILL KEEP HIGH WIND WATCH GOING FOR NOW AND LET EVENING SHIFT TAKE ONE LAST LOOK. H7 WINDS OVER ABSAROKAS GET CRANKING AS WELL WITH SPEEDS UP TO 70KTS DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY. THIS AREA IS A BIT MORE FAVORABLE FOR HIGH WINDS WITH WNW FLOW. HAVE HOISTED A HIGH WIND WATCH FOR 12Z TO 00Z TOMORROW FOR THE ABSAROKAS. MOST LOCATIONS WILL BE WINDY ON WEDNESDAY. TEMPERATURES WARM QUITE NICELY EAST OF THE DIVIDE WEDNESDAY WITH WIDESPREAD 40S EXPECTED...EVEN SOME 30S WEST OF THE DIVIDE. SOME 50S ARE LIKELY THURSDAY UNDER BACKING SOUTHWEST FLOW WITH GOOD WARM AIR ADVECTION. RIDGE AXIS MOVES THROUGH WYOMING THURSDAY MORNING WITH THE FLOW BACKING AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING LONG WAVE TROUGH. THE FLOW BACKS WITH THIS WITH SNOW RETURNING TO THE WEST IN THE AFTERNOON AS FAVORABLE BAROCLINIC LEAF MOVES IN AHEAD OF THE TROUGH. THIS WILL BRING A FAIRLY QUICK SHOT OF SNOW THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH AS WELL WITH THE FLOW VEERING TO THE NORTH BEHIND THE FRONT AND TROUGH. THIS SETS UP THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME UPSLOPE SNOW EAST OF THE DIVIDE FRIDAY MORNING. LONG TERM...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MODELS NOW BRING COLD FRONT SOUTH OUT OF MONTANA SPREADING PRECIPITATION SOUTH EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. HAVE INCREASED CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE DAY FRIDAY. IF THE MODELS LOCK IN ON THIS...WILL LIKELY NEED MUCH HIGHER PRECIPITATION PROBABILITIES ALONG WITH INCREASED SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. THEN RIDGE BUILDS BACK WITH WET NORTHWEST FLOW AND DRYING EAST OF THE DIVIDE AND A RETURN TO WESTERLY WINDS AT THE SURFACE. TEMPERATURES NOW COLDER FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT AND PROBABLY NOT COLD ENOUGH DEPENDING ON THE STRENGTH OF THE FRONT AND THE AMOUNT AND COVERAGE OF SNOWFALL. SHOULD SEE TEMPERATURES BOUNCE BACK ON SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. MODELS NOW SHOW BACK DOOR COLD FRONT MOVING SOUTHWEST FROM EASTERN MONTANA AND THE DAKOTAS INTO NORTHERN AND EASTERN WYOMING ON MONDAY. THIS WILL LIKELY COOL OFF EASTERN JOHNSON AND EASTERN NATRONA COUNTIES WHILE LEAVING WARMER TEMPERATURES WEST AND SOUTH OF THE FRONT. EXTENDED MODELS EXHIBITING SOME RUN TO RUN CHANGES WHICH DECREASES THE CONFIDENCE IN THE COOLING AND SPREAD OF PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE EXTENDED FORECAST. BEST BET IS FOR DRY SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. AVIATION... CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE ACROSS THE FAR WEST...WITH CIGS/VSBYS LOWERING THROUGH THE NIGHT. MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR KJAC...KPNA...AND KBPI. EXPECT WIDESPREAD MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS AS WELL. KRKS WILL ALSO EXPERIENCE OCCASIONAL MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY. THERE WILL BE AREAS OF LLWS BTWN 1KFT-2KFT AGL ALONG THE EAST SLOPES FROM KCOD-KLND OVERNIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING AS WELL. FIRE WEATHER... PERIODS OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED IN THE WEST THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING...WITH SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS EXPECTED. LIGHT SNOW EXPECTED IN THE WEST WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. IT WILL REMAIN WINDY OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS THOUGH MUCH WARMER AIR WILL MOVE IN. EAST OF DIVIDE...40S WEDNESDAY AND 50S BY THURSDAY. A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...BRINGING IN COLDER AIR AS WELL AS A CHANCE OF SNOW EAST OF THE DIVIDE FRIDAY MORNING. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 6 AM WEDNESDAY TO MIDNIGHT MST THURSDAY NIGHT FOR WYZ002. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR WYZ002-015- 024-025. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR WYZ001-012-013- 023. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR WYZ019. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 12 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR WYZ008-009. && SHORT TERM...TWB LONG TERM...C.BAKER AVIATION...BERC FIRE WEATHER...TWB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 906 PM MST TUE JAN 6 2009 WYZ001>020-022>030-071300- 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- 906 PM MST TUE JAN 6 2009 ...WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF FAR WESTERN WYOMING AND THE BIG HORN MOUNTAINS THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON... ...HIGH WIND WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE GREEN MOUNTAINS AND ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT PERIODS OF SNOW...POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT ACROSS FAR WESTERN WYOMING. SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS WILL PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AT TIMES. THE SNOW WILL INCREASE OVER THE BIGHORNS AS WELL. SEE WINTER STORM WARNING AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY PRODUCTS FOR MORE INFORMATION. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT OVER THE GREEN/RATTLESNAKE MOUNTAINS...EXCEEDING 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH. SEE HIGH WIND WARNING PRODUCTS FOR MORE INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE SNOW WILL CONTINUE IN THE WEST AND BIGHORN MOUNTAINS. THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AS WELL AS THE BLOWING DRIFTING SNOW CAUSE BY THE GUSTY SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION IN SOUTHERN YELLOWSTONE PARK...THE TETON AND GROS VENTRE RANGE WILL RANGE FROM 10 TO 18 INCHES...WITH THE WYOMING/SALT RANGES AND THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS RECEIVING FROM 6 TO 12 INCHES. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION IN THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS...AND THE JACKSON AND STAR VALLEYS IS EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 5 TO 10 INCHES. THE UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN WILL RECEIVE 3 TO 6 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS AROUND BONDURANT. STRONG WEST AND SOUTHWEST WIND IS LIKELY EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. THE WINDS COULD BE ESPECIALLY STRONG OVER THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS AS WELL AS THE GREEN AND RATTLESNAKE RANGES. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO REPORT ANY RECORDED STRONG WIND GUSTS...WIND DAMAGE OR SNOW ACCUMULATION FROM MONDAY. THANK YOU. TEAM RIVERTON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 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: 142208, 142206, 142214, 142207, 142205.