A strong westerly jet stream created a mountain wave along the east slopes of the Absaroka Range and adjacent foothills. Wind gusts of 80 to 96 mph were observed in favored locations near Clark and at the higher elevations.
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The episode as NWS RIW wrote it up.
A strong westerly jet stream created a mountain wave along the east slopes of the Absaroka Range and adjacent foothills. Wind gusts of 80 to 96 mph were observed in favored locations near Clark and at the higher elevations. High winds were also experienced along the southern wind corridor, mainly in Natrona County. Sustained speeds of 40 mph with gusts to 64 mph were measured by automated stations.
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 Nov 17, 3:02 PM MST, 8 hours 8 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 302 PM MST WED NOV 17 2010 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT STRONG WESTERLY FLOW WILL MOVE OVER WESTERN WYOMING AS A 150 KNOT JET OFF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST MOVES INLAND. HIGH WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AS A MOUNTAIN WAVE FORMS ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS. WINDS OF 50 TO 60 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 80 MPH ARE EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING. WEAKER MOUNTAIN WAVES WILL PRODUCE STRONG WINDS ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS AND BIGHORN MOUNTAINS WHERE 45 MPH WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. FROM SOUTH PASS...MUDDY GAP AND NATRONA COUNTY HIGH WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 65 MPH ARE EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY WHERE ANOTHER HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN PLACE. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM IN THE WINDY AREAS WITH DOWNSLOPE WARMING. THE WEST WILL BE SLIGHTLY WARMER WITH STRONG WIND OVER THE MOUNTAIN PEAKS. SOME SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NORTHWEST. MOISTURE WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST THURSDAY NIGHT WITH SNOW SHOWERS BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD. THIS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY. FRIDAY NIGHT THE SNOW WILL INCREASE AND SPREAD SOUTH THROUGH THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO WARM ACROSS THE AREA WITH WINDY CONDITIONS...INCREASING CLOUD COVER AND PRECIPITATION. .LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY FIRST REAL COLD OUTBREAK OF THE FALL SEASON APPEARS TO BE DEVELOPING FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE UPPER RIDGE OVER WRN ALASKA AND THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT EWD INTO THE ERN PACIFIC THIS WEEKEND AND STRENGTHEN AS A SERIES OF WEATHER SYSTEMS PUMP WARM AIR INTO WEST SIDE OF THE RIDGE. AT THE SAME TIME...A NRN CANADIAN POLAR VORTEX SLIDES SOUTH TO THE HUDSON BAY AREA PROVIDING A COLD NLY FEED THAT STRENGTHENS EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE GFS CONTINUES TO BE SLOW IN PUSHING THE COLD AIR SWD OVER THE WEEKEND WHILE THE ECMWF REMAINS THE FURTHEST SOUTH AND THE GEM IN THE MIDDLE. SAME AS LAST NIGHT. FORECAST IS STILL A COMPROMISE AS INPUT GUIDANCE WITH OUR TEST WAS VERY WARM THIS WEEKEND. THE POSITION OF THE FRONT WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE BY 20 DEGREES OR MORE. THE COLD AIR WILL BECOME DEEPER AND MORE ENTRENCHED EARLY NEXT WEEK AND CONTINUES THROUGH MIDWEEK. H7 TEMPS DROP TO BETWEEN -15C AND -20C EARLY NEXT WEEK WHILE H5 TEMPS HOVER AROUND -35C. HIGHS MAY ONLY BE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS WITH LOWS NEAR OR BELOW ZERO...ESPECIALLY THE NORTH HALF. SNOW WILL CONTINUE OUT WEST SATURDAY AND MAY SPREAD EAST OF THE DIVIDE BEHIND THE CANADIAN FRONT. THE GEM AND ECMWF SHOW A BETTER SWATH OF SNOW SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY EVENING. PERIODS OF LIGHTER MTN SNOW AND UPSLOPE SNOW WILL CONTINUE AT TIMES THEN THROUGH THE PERIOD ALL DEPENDENT ON TROUGH DETAILS...OROGRAPHICS AND UPSLOPE AREAS. && .AVIATION... A PLUME OF PACIFIC MOISTURE WILL BRING A HIGH CLOUD DECK ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT. VFR CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF OCCASIONAL...SHORT LIVED MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS AT KJAC. A STRONG MOUNTAIN WAVE EVENT IS EXPECTED AFTER 05Z THURSDAY THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY OVER THE ABSAROKAS. WEAKER BUT STILL VERY STRONG WIND IS EXPECTED OVER EAST SLOPES OF THE WIND RIVER RANGE DURING THE SAME TIME FRAME. 20 TO 30KT WIND WITH GUSTS TO 40KT ARE LIKELY AT KCOD AFTER 09Z AND 15 TO 25KT WIND WITH GUSTS TO 35KT ARE LIKELY AT KCOD AFTER 09Z AND...KLND...KRIW...AND KRKS AFTER 17Z. && .FIRE WEATHER... STRONG WEST FLOW WILL DEVELOP OVER AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE LEE SLOPES AND FOOTHILLS...AND THROUGH THE WIND CORRIDOR FROM SOUTH PASS TO CASPER. ALONG THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS 50 TO 60 MPH WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 80 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN THE CLARK AREA. THE NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS WILL SEE SOME LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS IN THE WESTERLY FLOW. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM EAST OF THE DIVIDE WITH THE STRONG DOWNSLOPE WINDS. OVERALL RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL BE FAVORABLE EXCEPT ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS WHERE TEEN RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ARE POSSIBLE. MIXING HEIGHTS WILL REMAIN LOW. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 PM MST THURSDAY WYZ002-003. HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 2 AM TO 5 PM MST THURSDAY WYZ019-020. && SHORT TERM...C.BAKER LONG TERM...SKRBAC AVIATION...BERC FIRE WEATHER...C.BAKER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 422 PM MST WED NOV 17 2010 WYZ001>020-022>030-181200- 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- 422 PM MST WED NOV 17 2010 ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING LATE TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE DEVELOPMENT OF VERY STRONG WINDS ARE LIKELY LATE TONIGHT OVER THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS...CODY FOOTHILLS...GREEN MOUNTAINS AND RATTLE SNAKE RANGE AND THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF NATRONA COUNTY. WIND OF 35 TO 50 MPH WILL BE LIKELY OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS...WITH GUSTS OF 55 TO 70 MPH. THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS WILL SEE THE POTENTIAL FOR WIND OF 50 TO 60 MPH...WITH GUSTS OF 70 TO 80 MPH. SEE HIGH WIND WARNING PRODUCTS FOR MORE INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY POTENTIALLY VERY STRONG WIND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS AREAS DISCUSSED PREVIOUSLY. THESE WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS...AND ARE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN DURING THE EARLY EVENING HOURS OF THURSDAY. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM MAY MOVE INTO THE NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT AND THEN MOVE INTO NORTH-CENTRAL WYOMING ON SATURDAY. SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE IN THE NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS WITH ACCUMULATING SNOW ALSO POSSIBLE ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE NORTHWEST FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AND ACROSS NORTH-CENTRAL WYOMING ON SATURDAY. A VERY COLD AIRMASS MAY SETTLE IN OVER THE AREA EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH HIGHS POSSIBLY ONLY IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS ACROSS THE NORTH HALF OF THE AREA AND 20S IN THE SOUTH. STAY TUNED ON THIS POTENTIAL CHANGE TO SHARPLY COLDER MORE WINTER-LIKE WEATHER BEGINNING AS EARLY AS THIS WEEKEND BUT TURNING POTENTIALLY EVEN COLDER EARLY NEXT WEEK LEADING UP TO THANKSGIVING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SUSTAINED WINDS OVER 40 MPH AND WIND GUSTS OVER 55 MPH...OR ANY WIND-RELATED DAMAGE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. THANK YOU. TEAM RIVERTON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, November 2010
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: 264584, 264582, 264583, 264585.