Strong southwesterly gap flow brought high wind to southern Lincoln County, Sweetwater County, and the Green Mountains. Sustained wind up to 46 mph was recorded in Kemmerer and gusts to 58 mph were measured in Rock Springs.
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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.
Strong southwesterly gap flow brought high wind to southern Lincoln County, Sweetwater County, and the Green Mountains. Sustained wind up to 46 mph was recorded in Kemmerer and gusts to 58 mph were measured in Rock Springs. A pickup truck with trailer was blown off Interstate 80 at milepost 95 between Rock Springs and Green River.
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 Mar 22, 2:56 AM MST, 3 hours 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 356 AM MDT TUE MAR 22 2011 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT A PACIFIC STORM WILL MOVE EAST OF WYOMING TODAY. AN UPPER LOW WITH A WEAK SURFACE REFLECTION LAGGING BEHIND THE MAIN LOW WILL BRING SNOW TO THE WEST AND NORTH WITH A RAIN SNOW MIX ELSEWHERE. AS THE LOW ORGANIZES OVER EASTERN MONTANA AND WYOMING TODAY IT WILL DRAW DOWN COOLER AIR FROM THE NORTH AND PULL IT OVER THE STATE. STORM TOTALS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED IN THE TETONS AND YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE OVER FAVORED WEST FACING SLOPES OF THE TETONS. SOME WEAK INSTABILITY WILL DEVELOP OVER AREAS EAST OF THE DIVIDE THIS AFTERNOON AS COOLING IN THE MID LEVELS OCCURS...WITH LAPSE RATES AT AROUND 7 TO 8 DEGREES C/KM LEADING TO BANDS RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS STREAMING OFF OF THE OWL CREEKS AND BIGHORNS INTO THE WIND RIVER BASIN AND I-25 CORRIDOR. WINDY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE OVER MOST OF THE AREA. THERE WILL BE A BRIEF BREAK AS FLOW VEERS FROM SOUTH TO WEST LATE THIS MORNING. STRONGEST WINDS WILL OCCUR ALONG AND NEAR THE EAST SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS AND THROUGH THE WIND CORRIDOR FROM SWEETWATER COUNTY THROUGH SOUTHERN FREMONT AND NATRONA COUNTIES. WIDESPREAD 25 TO 35 MPH WINDS WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR OVER A LARGE PORTION OF THE STATE. MANY AREAS WILL FLIRT WITH HIGH WIND WARNING CRITERIA DUE TO A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT BUT AS THE JET SHIFTS WELL SOUTH AND EAST OF THE AREA THERE WILL NOT BE ENOUGH DOWNWARD FORCING TO RESULT IN A WIDESPREAD HIGH WIND EVENT IN OUR CWA TODAY. RIDGING WILL BUILD IN BEHIND THE CURRENT SYSTEM ON WEDNESDAY ONLY TO BE FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER TROUGH AND MORE INCLEMENT WEATHER ON THURSDAY. .LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WILL BE USING THE GFSENEMBLE MEAN ALONG WITH THE 00Z ECMWF MODEL FOR THE WEATHER PATTERN IN THE EXTENDED. THE ECMWF HAS BEEN MORE CONSISTENT WITH WEATHER SYSTEMS YET IT HAS BEEN VARYING ON THE STRENGTH AS HAVE THE OTHER MODELS. THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM IMPACTS THE WEST ON FRIDAY AND IT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION FRIDAY NIGHT. BEST CHANCE OF PRECIP WILL BE THE MOUNTAINS WITH SCATTERED PRECIP OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. THE SYSTEM LINGERS SATURDAY MORNING WITH CLEARING FROM WEST TO EAST SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THE NEXT STORM ENTERS THE WESTERN U.S. SATURDAY NIGHT AND MOVES TOWARD THE GREAT BASIN ON SUNDAY. THIS WOULD BRING PRECIP BACK INTO THE WEST SUNDAY. THEN A CHANCE OF PRECIP IN THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH SUNDAY NIGHT AS THE SYSTEM HEADS TOWARD THE FOUR CORNERS. THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THIS TROUGH PASSES THROUGH WY SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY WITH SCATTERED PRECIP EXPECTED. NEXT TUESDAY LOOKS DRY AT THIS POINT. AS FOR TEMPS A MILD DAY FRIDAY THEN SLIGHTLY COOLER SATURDAY. SUNDAY LOOKS MILDER THEN SLIGHTLY COOLER MONDAY AND THEN WARMER NEXT TUESDAY. && .AVIATION... MOIST WEST-NORTHWEST FLOW AROUND AN UPPER LOW MOVING INTO SOUTHERN MONTANA/NORTHERN WYOMING WILL RESULT IN WIDELY SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA...WITH THE BEST COVERAGE ACROSS THE WEST AND NORTH. THIS WILL RESULT IN WIDESPREAD MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NORTHWEST...INCLUDING KJAC...WITH PERIODS OF MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED OVER SOUTHWEST WYOMING AND NORTHERN WYOMING TODAY. MOUNTAINS WILL BE OBSCURED WITH MAINLY IFR CONDITIONS. BREEZY TO WINDY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION IN WAKE OF A COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING. && .FIRE WEATHER... DEFINITELY NOT A GREAT DAY TO START A FIRE IN MOST OF THE STATE...STRONG WINDS CONTINUE TODAY THOUGH THEY WILL SHIFT TO THE WEST LATE THIS MORNING. MIN RH VALUES WILL DROP INTO THE TWENTIES AND EVEN INTO THE TEENS IN WINDY AREAS EAST OF THE DIVIDE AGAIN TODAY...THOUGH THEY WILL BE TEMPERED LATE THIS AFTERNOON BY DEVELOPING SHOWERS. MIN RHS WILL IMPROVE OVER THE SOUTH AND WEST AS COOL AIR FILTERS IN BEHIND THE UPPER TROUGH. MIXING HEIGHTS WILL REMAIN LOW IN THE WEST WITH STRATIFORM PRECIP IN THE AREA...MIXING HEIGHTS WILL RISE IN THE AFTERNOON EAST OF THE DIVIDE AS THE AIRMASS DESTABILIZES A BIT AND WINDS SPEEDS REMAIN ELEVATED ALLOWING FOR GOOD SMOKE DISPERSAL. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM MDT THIS EVENING WYZ012. && SHORT TERM...ALLEN LONG TERM...AR AVIATION...WM FIRE WEATHER...ALLEN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 411 AM MDT TUE MAR 22 2011 WYZ001>020-022>030-231200- 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- 411 AM MDT TUE MAR 22 2011 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE TETONS...GROS VENTRES AND TOGWOTEE PASS TODAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO BRING SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO WESTERN WYOMING TODAY. THE TETONS...GROS VENTRES AND TOGWOTEE PASS AREAS LOOK TO BE THE HARDEST HIT AREAS WITH 6 TO 12 INCHES. SURROUNDING AREAS COULD ALSO SEE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL AS WELL SUCH AS JACKSON HOLE...SOUTHERN YELLOWSTONE...THE NORTHERN SALT RIVER AND WYOMING RANGES AND THE NORTHERN STAR VALLEY. WEST WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY SNOW PRODUCING SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. THOSE TRAVELLING IN FAR WESTERN WYOMING SHOULD EXPECT ADVERSE CONDITIONS TODAY. WINDY CONDITIONS RETURN TO THE STATE TODAY...STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR ALONG THE WIND CORRIDOR FROM ROCK SPRINGS TO CASPER. SUSTAINED WINDS BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH ARE FORECAST WITH GUSTS AROUND 50 MPH POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE WEST ON THURSDAY BRINGING MORE SNOW TO THE WEST AND STRONG WINDS TO MUCH OF THE STATE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO REPORT SNOWFALL TODAY ACROSS WESTERN WYOMING. THANK YOU. TEAM RIVERTON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 646 AM MDT TUE MAR 22 2011 WYZ014-015-221400- WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS EAST-WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS WEST- 646 AM MDT TUE MAR 22 2011 SNOW AND GUSTY SOUTHWEST WIND OVER SOUTH PASS WAS MAKING QUITE TREACHEROUS THIS MORNING. IN FACT...AS OF 640 AM...SOUTH PASS WAS CLOSED. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL OVER SOUTH PASS THIS MORNING... CHECK THE LATEST ROAD CONDITIONS AT WWW.WYOROAD.INFO OR BY DIALING 5 1 1. THE SNOW AND GUSTY WIND WILL CONTINUE TODAY SO ROAD CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY REMAIN SNOWCOVERED WITH SHARPLY REDUCED VISIBILITY AT TIMES. SKRBAC
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 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, March 2011
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: 280346, 280347, 280348, 283696.