A lightning strike ignited a water tank in Sublette County.
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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 lightning strike ignited a water tank in Sublette County.
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 Jun 10, 1:34 AM MST, 10 hours 56 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 234 AM MDT WED JUN 10 2009 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT A FEW SHOWERS CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN WYOMING EARLY THIS MORNING UNDER A MOIST DIFLUENT WSW FLOW ALOFT. STILL A COMPLEX PATTERN WITH THE FINAL SHORTWAVE...FROM THE CANADIAN UPPER LOW...SINKS SOUTH OVER WESTERN MONTANA MEETS ENERGY IN THE SOUTHWEST FLOW AHEAD OF AN UPPER LOW OVER SOUTHERN ARIZONA. THERE IS ALSO AN INCOMING PACIFIC SHORTWAVE MOVING ONSHORE ALONG THE NORTH CAL AND OREGON COAST THIS MORNING. EACH WILL HAVE ITS IMPACT ON WYOMINGS WEATHER OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS. THE FIRST TWO FEATURES WILL AFFECT THE AREA TODAY...WITH THE PACIFIC SHORTWAVE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. THE NORTHERN SHORTWAVE WILL SOON TAKE A TURN TO THE EAST AND MOVE ACROSS MONTANA TODAY. THIS WILL CONVERGE WITH SOME SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVING UP FROM THE SOUTHWEST. THE CONVERGENCE ZONE WILL BE OVER WEST CENTRAL WYOMING THIS AFTERNOON...THEN IT WILL AFFECT THE AREA AROUND THE BIGHORNS THIS EVENING. ALSO HAVE A SURFACE LOW SET UP ALONG THE DIVIDE FROM SOUTH PASS EAST THROUGH THE GREEN MOUNTAINS. THIS WILL BRING A COOL...STABLE NORTHEAST FLOW EAST OF THE DIVIDE...AND WEST FLOW WEST. NAM AND GFS HIT THESE AREAS WITH SOME GOOD QPF...GFS A BIT OVER AN INCH. INSTABILITY NOT ALL THAT IMPRESSIVE HOWEVER...WITH LIS BELOW ZERO WEST OF THE DIVIDE...WITH POSITIVE VALUES EAST OF THE DIVIDE. SO SHOULD SEE MAINLY HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS WITH SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON...THEN STRATIFORMING OUT AS THE SHOWERS MOVE EAST OF THE DIVIDE. THOUGH WITH DYNAMICS...COULD STILL SEE A LIGHTNING STRIKE OR TWO. PACIFIC SHORTWAVE MOVES INTO EASTERN IDAHO THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING...WITH A DIFLUENT SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT INCREASING. THIS WILL BRING DECENT UNSTABLE CONDITIONS OVER THE WEST. THOUGH IN THE EAST...THE FRONT WILL STILL BE BANKED UP TO THE DIVIDE STABILIZING THINGS THERE. THE WAVE MOVES ACROSS THE STATE THURSDAY AND HEADS OUT IN THE EVENING. HAVE HIGHEST POPS ACROSS THE CENTRAL HORIZONTAL THIRD OF THE AREA WHICH LOOKS TO BE THE TRACK OF THE SHORTWAVE. SHOULD SEE LESS ACTIVITY FRIDAY AS TRANSITORY RIDGE BUILDS IN. HOWEVER...PLENTY OF MOISTURE TO REMAIN ALONG WITH SOME MODEST INSTABILITY. SO THUNDERSTORMS STILL POSSIBLE. TRANSITORY RIDGE SHIFTS EAST FRIDAY NIGHT AS A LARGE PACIFIC TROUGH APPROACHES THE WEST COAST WITH SOUTHWEST FLOW INCREASING OVER WESTERN WYOMING FRIDAY NIGHT. COULD START TO SEE SOME SHOWER ACTIVITY POP EARLY SATURDAY MORNING AS A RESULT. TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE PERIOD TO BE MUCH COOLER THAN NORMAL...ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE DIVIDE WHERE THE FRONT WILL KEEP IT COOL...AS WELL AS THE PERSISTENT CLOUD COVER. .LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER THE WEST WILL DOMINATE THE WEATHER THROUGH THE PERIOD. HOWEVER...AT THE END OF THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD IT APPEARS THE TROUGH AND POSSIBLE CLOSED CIRCULATION WILL MOVE INTO WYOMING OR UTAH. THE GFS KEEPS THE SYSTEM CLOSED OFF OVER CNTRL UT AS IT MOVES EWD WHILE THE ECMWF OPENS IT UP AND MOVES IT INTO WYOMING ON WEDNESDAY. EITHER SOLUTION WOULD PRODUCE A VERY ACTIVE THUNDERSTORM DAY. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD...THE EURO AND GFS VARY WITH THE EURO ROTATING A SHORTWAVE TROUGH THROUGH THE AREA WHILE THE GFS HAS A NEGATIVE TILT RIDGE HOLDING. THE NAM SUPPORTS THE EURO AND THE FORECAST LEANS THAT WAY WITH CHANCE POPS EVERYWHERE AND LIKELY OUT WEST. ON SUNDAY...A MOIST...POTENTIAL DYNAMIC SW FLOW IS FORECAST BY THE MODELS WITH JET STREAK MOVING UP INTO OUR SERN ZONES. MORE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...AT LEAST... ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA...ESPECIALLY SRN HALF. FLOW CONTINUES TO BACK ON MONDAY ON THE GFS WITH MORE JET INTERACTION AND EMBEDDED DISTURBANCES. THE EURO SHOWS THE FIRST PIECE OF THE UPPER LOW APPROACHING THE WEST WITH CONSIDERABLE SHOWERS/TSTMS OUT WEST AND LESS IN THE EAST. ON TUESDAY...A VERY ACTIVE DAY MAY BE IN STORE AS THE UPPER LOW APPROACHES PER THE GFS OR EVEN WITH TROUGH SHOWN ON THE EURO. WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY...CONTINUING INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. A COUPLE WARM DAYS ARE POSSIBLE EAST OF THE DIVIDE IN THIS PATTERN BUT CLOUD COVER AND AFTERNOON STORMS MAY HINDER ANY REAL WARM DAYS. MEX GUIDANCE GENERALLY KEEPS TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL EACH DAY. && .AVIATION... IN WAKE OF A COLD FRONT...LOW CLOUDS WILL BE THE MAIN PROBLEM EAST OF THE DIVIDE THROUGH THIS EVENING. MVFR/IFR CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED...WITH SOME AREAS LIFTING ABOVE MVFR CONDITIONS DURING THE AFTERNOON. WEST OF THE DIVIDE...WILL SEE QUITE A BIT OF LOW/MID CLOUDS...BUT CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN ABOVE MVFR CRITERIA...EXCEPT IN CONVECTION. A MOIST ENVIRONMENT COMBINED WITH DISTURBANCES MOVING ACROSS THE AREA WILL RESULT IN SCATTERED SHOWERS. SHOWERS COULD OCCUR AT ANY TIME...BUT THE BEST CHANCE WILL BE IN THE AFTERNOON/EVENING. ALTHOUGH...THUNDERSTORMS COULD OCCUR ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION...THEY WILL BE MAINLY CONFINED ACROSS THE WEST AND SOUTH...WHERE THE BEST INSTABILITY WILL BE LOCATED. && .FIRE WEATHER... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE NEXT WEEK AS AN UNSETTLED PATTERN CONTINUES. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOST NUMEROUS THIS AFTERNOON OVER THE WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...THEN SPREADING EAST AFFECTING THE AREA AROUND THE BIGHORNS THIS EVENING. ALL AREAS SHOULD SEE AT LEAST SCATTERED ACTIVITY. LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STORMS. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW NORMAL...ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE DIVIDE WHERE A COOL NORTHEAST WIND REMAINS AT THE SURFACE. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...TWB LONG TERM...SKRBAC AVIATION...WM FIRE WEATHER...TWB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 500 AM MDT WED JUN 10 2009 WYZ001>020-022>030-111100- 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- 500 AM MDT WED JUN 10 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT MUCH OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING ONCE AGAIN. THEY WILL BE MOST NUMEROUS OVER THE WEST CENTRAL IN THE AFTERNOON...THEN IN AND ADJACENT TO THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS THIS EVENING. EXPECT BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL... SOME LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 35 MPH. SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE ABOVE 9000 FEET. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY AN UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE TO BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THIS WEEK...THE WEEKEND AND THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK...ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO REPORT ANY RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND HAIL-SIZE OVER ONE HALF INCH. SPOTTERS ARE ALSO ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY BANKFULL STREAMS OR RIVERS. THANK YOU. TEAM RIVERTON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 1152 AM MDT WED JUN 10 2009 WYZ019-020-022-030-101930- CASPER MOUNTAIN-EAST SWEETWATER COUNTY- GREEN MOUNTAINS AND RATTLESNAKE RANGE- NATRONA COUNTY LOWER ELEVATIONS- 1152 AM MDT WED JUN 10 2009 AN AREA OF RAPIDLY DEVELOPING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED ACROSS NORTHEAST SWEETWATER COUNTY INCLUDING BAIROIL... SOUTHEAST FREMONT COUNTY AND SOUTHWEST NATRONA COUNTY. THESE STORM CELLS WILL BE MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE GREEN MOUNTAINS AS WELL AS AREAS ALONG THE HIGHWAY 220 CORRIDOR BETWEEN INDEPENDENCE ROCK AND ALCOVA THROUGH 130 PM. THE STRONGEST OF THESE STORM CELLS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL AND BRIEF GUSTY WINDS. LIPSON
The Riverton/Lander radar (KRIW), 122 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:30 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A lightning strike destroyed a water tank in the Jonah Field in southern Sublette County.
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, June 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: 167635.