A long-lived winter storm moved into western Wyoming and brought an extended period of snow to the mountains and valleys. The southern end of the Star Valley received anywhere from 6 inches around Afton, Fairview, and Auburn to as much as 14 inches near Smoot.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
A long-lived winter storm moved into western Wyoming and brought an extended period of snow to the mountains and valleys. The southern end of the Star Valley received anywhere from 6 inches around Afton, Fairview, and Auburn to as much as 14 inches near Smoot. Snowfall of 6 to as much as 10 inches fell around Dubois and Cody.
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 Feb 21, 11:05 AM MST, 2 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 1105 AM MST FRI FEB 21 2014 .UPDATE... ALLOWED THE WINTER WX ADVISORY FOR THE STAR VALLEY AND SALT RIVER/WYOMING RANGES TO EXPIRE AT 5 AM. NO OTHER CHANGES. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 330 AM MST FRI FEB 21 2014/ .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT INCREASING SNOW ACROSS THE WRN MOUNTAINS EARLIER THIS EVENING AS COLD MID/UPR LVL AIR IS UNDERCUT BY MODEST WAA AT LOW TO MID LVLS INCREASING INSTABILITY AND ENHANCING SNOWFALL. WINDS ALSO CONTINUE TO GUST FROM THE WEST TO SOUTHWEST...AND THIS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING HRS...THE WIND THAT IS. WILL EXTEND THE ADVISORY IN ZONES 12 AND 13 THROUGH MID AFTERNOON FOR MAINLY FOR BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. THEN...THE NEXT VORT MAX/SW ARRIVES LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND INSTABILITY AGAIN INCREASES AS MODEST LOW TO MID LVL FRONTOGENESIS TAKES PLACE WITH THE MID/UPR LVLS COOLING DOWN QUICKLY BY MIDNIGHT. WHILE THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE STILL LOOKS LIKE A GOOD DYNAMIC SYSTEM...IT DOES NOT LOOK QUITE AS GOOD AS IT DID 24 HRS AGO. ANYWAY...THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME...BUT TIMING IS MORE SIMILAR TO WHAT THE MDLS WERE SHOWING TWO DAYS AGO...WITH THE FRONT POISED TO COME THROUGH A BIT EARLIER. STILL...THE STRONGEST PORTION IN UPR LVLS WITH THIS STORM LOOK TO PUSH THRU SAT AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...WITH THE CHANGE IN TIMING...PRECIP/SNOW LOOKS TO BE MORE POST FRONTAL THAN AT THE FRONT...WITH LESS INSTABILITY THAN THOUGHT WITH THE PREVIOUS TIMING. ALSO...MOISTURE WILL BE SOMEWHAT MORE LIMITED THAN OUR PREVIOUS SYSTEMS...ORIGINATING MORE FROM THE NNW INSTEAD OF WNW AND THE PAC NW. GOOD INSTABILITY AND CONVECTIVE MODE BY SAT AFTERNOON THRU AT LEAST MID EVE WILL PROBABLY BE THE PERIOD THAT PRODUCES THE BEST IN SNOW. ATTM...QPF AND SNOW PRODUCTION LOOKS TO REMAIN AOB WWA CRITERIA...HOWEVER IT COULD BE CLOSE. WINDS WILL NOT BE AS MUCH OF AN ISSUE EITHER IN THE SNOW MAKING AREAS...WITH STRONGER WINDS BEING HELD GENERALLY ACROSS SRN LINCOLN AND SWEETWATER COUNTIES. JUST THE SRN LINCOLN COUNTY MOUNTAINS WOULD BE THE MOST LIKELY AREA FOR APPROACHING ADVISORY CONDITIONS...SO WILL HAVE MONITOR FURTHER FOR CHANGES. OTHERWISE...DECREASING CLOUDS AND COLD WILL FOLLOW INTO THE NRN CWA LATE OVERNIGHT SAT INTO SUN MORNING E OF THE DIVIDE WITH A NEALY STATIONARY FRONT DANGLING FROM NW TO SE ACROSS THE STATE...REMAINING IN SOME FASHION THRU THE END OF THIS FCST PERIOD. THIS WILL PROVIDE A MODEST FOCAL POINT FOR LL CONVERGENCE AND LIFT WITH SOME AREAS OF SNOW OCCURRING AROUND THIS LINE. THE NEXT UPR LVL WAVE IS DUE TO RACE THROUGH THE REGION LATER SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND WILL PERHAPS ENHANCE PRECIP AROUND THE FRONT WHICH SHOULD NOW BE SLOWLY LIFTING NWD. AT THE SAME TIME...THE UPR LVLS WILL ONCE AGAIN BECOME MORE ORIENTED TO WNW FLOW INSTEAD OF NNW...BRINGING IN SOMEWHAT BETTER MOISTURE TO FOCUS ON THE FRONT ESPECIALLY OVR THE NRN PORTIONS OF THE FA. HAVE RAISED THE POPS AND PRECIP IN THIS AREA APPROPRIATELY. .LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ARCTIC COLD FRONT SHOULD BE ACROSS NORTHERN/EASTERN WYOMING MONDAY MORNING BEFORE PUSHING TO AND STALLING ALONG THE DIVIDE BY MIDDAY/EARLY AFTERNOON MONDAY. THE LOCATION OF ARCTIC COLD FRONT MONDAY MORNING WILL MAKE FOR A VERY TRICKY HIGH TEMPERATURE FORECAST. GLOBAL MODELS SHOW THE MID/UPPER LEVEL WINDS HINDERING THE SOUTH AND WESTWARD MOVEMENT OF THE ARCTIC COLD FRONT MONDAY...BUT MODELS TEND TO UNDERDO THE PROGRESS OF SHALLOW ARCTIC AIR MASSES. SO EXPECT THIS INITIALLY SHALLOW ARCTIC AIR MASS TO REACH THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BY MIDDAY. THIS ARCTIC COLD FRONT SHOULD REMAIN ALONG THE DIVIDE MONDAY NIGHT BEFORE PUSHING SOUTHWEST ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA TUESDAY...AS A STRONG 1045MB SURFACE HIGH BUILDS INTO THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS. THE 00Z ECMWF...GEM AND GFS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THIS SCENARIO...BUT ARE DIFFERENT THAN YESTERDAYS RUNS...WHICH SHOWED THE ARCTIC AIR MASS MODIFYING TUESDAY. HAVE TRENDED COLDER...ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE DIVIDE TUESDAY. SNOWFALL MONDAY SHOULD BE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST WYOMING DUE TO THE MOIST OROGRAPHIC NORTHWEST FLOW...AND NORTH OF THE ARCTIC BOUNDARY. IT APPEARS THE BEST SHOT OF SNOWFALL WILL BE ACROSS EXTREME NORTHERN WYOMING INTO SOUTHERN MONTANA...WHERE MODELS SHOW DECENT ISENTROPIC LIFT OVER THE 700MB BAROCLINIC ZONE. AS THIS ARCTIC AIR MASS DEEPENS AND ANOTHER DISTURBANCE SLIDES SOUTH OUT OF CANADA...EXPECT THIS AREA OF SNOW TO SHIFT SOUTHWARD LATE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. WHAT APPEARED TO BE A DRY TUESDAY FORECAST YESTERDAY APPEARS A BIT SNOWY NOW. HAVE INTRODUCED SLIGHT VALLEY AND CHANCE MOUNTAIN POPS TUESDAY...WHICH WILL LIKELY NEED TO BE INCREASED IF MODELS CONTINUE DOWN THIS SCENARIO. MODELS SHOW THE SNOWFALL EXITING THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON/TUESDAY EVENING...WITH A BITTER COLD NIGHT EXPECTED. HOW COLD...WILL DEPEND GREATLY ON HOW MUCH SNOWFALL OCCURS MONDAY AND TUESDAY...AND HOW MUCH CLEARING TAKES PLACE TUESDAY NIGHT. A DRY AND WARMER DAY IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY...AS THE ARCTIC AIR MASS BEGINS TO MODIFY. HOWEVER TRAPPED BASINS WILL STRUGGLE TO WARM UP. A PACIFIC SHORTWAVE TROUGH UNDERCUTTING THE NARROW...BUT HIGHLY AMPLIFIED RIDGE OVER BRITISH COLUMBIA COULD IMPACT THE FORECAST AREA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY OF NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER...GLOBAL MODELS ARE NOW LESS ENTHUSIASTIC IN BRINGING ANOTHER ARCTIC COLD FRONT INTO THE FORECAST AREA. .AVIATION.../18Z ISSUANCE/ EAST OF THE DIVIDE...KCOD/KCPR/KLND/KRIW/KWRL ROUTES A COLD FRONT IS PUSHING INTO NORTHERN WY WITH CLOUDS LOWERING TO MVFR CONDITIONS OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS AT KBYG TO KPOY. SOME LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS WILL ALSO DEVELOP OVER NORTHERN WY BY 00Z AND THIS SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST 06Z WITH MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS. FOR THE CENTRAL AREA FROM KLND TO KCPR VFR CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR THROUGH 03Z. THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THIS AREA AROUND 03Z WITH LOW CLOUDS DEVELOPING OVER THIS AREA AFTER 04Z. SOME LIGHT SNOW WILL ALSO DEVELOP IN CENTRAL WY BETWEEN 06Z AND 12Z. WEST OF THE DIVIDE...KBPI/KJAC/KPNA/KRKS ROUTES SNOW WILL OCCUR OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS THROUGH TONIGHT. THE KJAC TERMINAL SITE WILL IMPACTED BY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW AS WELL WITH MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS. KBPI AND KPNA TERMINAL SITES WILL SEE VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILING THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH SOME -SHSN MOVING IN AFTER 12Z SAT. LOCAL MVFR CEILINGS MAY OCCUR AT TIMES AT KPNA TERMINAL THE KRKS TERMINAL SITE WILL BE WINDY THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD WITH VFR CONDITIONS. .FIRE WEATHER... NO FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS SNOWFALL AGAIN WILL INCREASE TONIGHT ACROSS WESTERN WYOMING. OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS EAST OF THE DIVIDE...WEST BREEZY TO OCCASIONALLY STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...BECOMING QUITE GUSTY WITH WINDS BLOWING 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 50 MPH OVER THE SOUTHERN DISPATCH ZONES. MORE WINTER WEATHER WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW IS ON THE WAY FOR THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING...THEN AGAIN SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTHER PORTION OF THE STATE. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 3 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON WYZ012-013. && SHORT TERM...BRAUN LONG TERM...WM AVIATION...ALLEN FIRE WEATHER...BRAUN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 400 AM MST FRI FEB 21 2014 WYZ001>020-022>030-221300- 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- 400 AM MST FRI FEB 21 2014 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR JACKSON HOLE AND SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS TODAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOWFALL WILL BE ON THE DECREASE OVER THE FAR WEST THIS MORNING. HOWEVER...GUSTY WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE CAUSING AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. PLEASE SEE THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR MORE DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SATURDAY...ANOTHER WINTER WEATHER SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE WEST EARLY WITH MORE SNOWFALL...TRANSLATING EASTWARD DURING THE DAY GIVING AREAS EAST OF THE DIVIDE A CHANCE FOR SOME SNOW BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MONDAY AND TUESDAY...MUCH BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES MAINLY EAST OF THE DIVIDE. HIGHS BOTH DAYS COULD BE 25 TO 35 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE. LIGHT TO POSSIBLY MODERATE AMOUNTS OF SNOW POSSIBLE MONDAY OVER THE NORTHWEST AND EXTREME NORTH...SLIDING SOUTH MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOW AMOUNTS. THANK YOU. TEAM RIVERTON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 100 PM MST FRI FEB 21 2014 WYZ015>018-220200- LANDER FOOTHILLS-UPPER WIND RIVER BASIN-WIND RIVER BASIN- WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS EAST- 100 PM MST FRI FEB 21 2014 WESTERLY WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 40 MPH AT TIMES WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE EARLY EVENING HOURS WHEN A COLD FRONT DROPS IN SWITCHING THE WINDS TO THE NORTH AT 5 TO 15 MPH. LIGHT SNOW WILL FOLLOW SEVERAL HOURS BEHIND THE FRONT OVERNIGHT. A MORE STEADY SNOW IS EXPECTED ON SATURDAY. WYZ003>008-220200- BIGHORN MOUNTAINS WEST-CODY FOOTHILLS-NORTH BIG HORN BASIN- OWL CREEK AND BRIDGER MOUNTAINS-SOUTHEAST BIG HORN BASIN- SOUTHWEST BIG HORN BASIN- 100 PM MST FRI FEB 21 2014 ISOLATED SNOW BANDS ARE MOVING THROUGH THE BIGHORN BASIN THIS AFTERNOON...THEY ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS WITH SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS EXPECTED BY SUNSET. AFTER SUNSET...A COLD FRONT WILL DROP IN FROM THE NORTH AND CHANGE THE WIND DIRECTION...SNOW WILL BECOME A BIT STEADIER SHORTLY THEREAFTER WITH HEAVIER SNOW BECOMING MORE FOCUSED ON FAVORED UPSLOPE AREAS LIKE THE UPPER NOWOOD VALLEY AND ALONG THE WEST SLOPE OF THE BIGHORNS. EXPECT 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW BASIN-WIDE WITH AS MUCH AS 5 INCHES POSSIBLE IN AREAS HIT BY THE MORE PERSISTENT BANDS AND IN FAVORED UPSLOPE AREAS LIKE THE NOWOOD VALLEY AND ALONG THE WEST SLOPE OF THE BIGHORNS. WYZ019-027>030-220200- EAST SWEETWATER COUNTY-FLAMING GORGE- GREEN MOUNTAINS AND RATTLESNAKE RANGE-ROCK SPRINGS AND GREEN RIVER- SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY- 100 PM MST FRI FEB 21 2014 WEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 45 MPH WILL CONTINUE ACROSS INTERSTATE 80 AND ALONG HIGHWAY 789 BETWEEN BEAVER RIM AND MUDDY GAP...SOME OF THE MORE ELEVATED AREAS ALONG THE HIGHWAY COULD SEE GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH. THE WIND WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTH TONIGHT...OCCASIONAL SNOW SHOWERS WILL BEGIN AFTER SUNRISE ON SATURDAY...EARLIER UP TOWARD BEAVER RIM. WYZ009>011-020-022-220200- BIGHORN MOUNTAINS SOUTHEAST-CASPER MOUNTAIN- NATRONA COUNTY LOWER ELEVATIONS-NORTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY- SOUTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY- 100 PM MST FRI FEB 21 2014 GUSTY WEST NORTHWEST WIND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY. SNOW SHOWERS WILL EVENTUALLY DEVELOP OFF OF THE BIGHORNS AND STREAM OVER INTERSTATES 25 AND 90 LATER THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL BE ERRATIC AND SOME OF THE HEAVIER SHOWERS COULD REDUCE VISIBILITY WITH SNOWFALL RATES AT OVER ONE INCH PER HOUR AT TIMES. A COLD FRONT WILL THEN ADVANCE THIS EVENING...ARRIVING IN CASPER BETWEEN 8PM AND MIDNIGHT TONIGHT...THE WEST WINDS WILL DECREASE AT THIS TIME BUT A MORE STEADY LIGHT SNOW WILL FALL WITH HEAVIER BANDS EMBEDDED. EXPECT 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS THE AREA WITH UP TO 5 INCHES POSSIBLE IN THE AREAS WITH PERSISTENT BANDING AND IN FAVORED UPSLOPE AREAS LIKE CASPER MOUNTAIN THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. OFF AND ON LIGHT SNOWFALL WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY ON SATURDAY...BECOMING HEAVIER AFTER SUNSET. 19
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow fell in the Cody foothills. Amounts generally ranged from 6 to 8 inches from Cody southward to Meeteetse.
Snowfall at the south end of Star Valley generally ranged from 6 to 12 inches.
Snowfall totals around Dubois ranged from 6 to 10 inches.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, February 2014
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: 494911, 494912, 504399.