A winter storm brought abundant Pacific moisture to the mountains and higher valleys of western Wyoming. The heaviest snow fell on Wednesday, January 29.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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 winter storm brought abundant Pacific moisture to the mountains and higher valleys of western Wyoming. The heaviest snow fell on Wednesday, January 29. Storm total mountain snowfall of 12 to 18 inches was common in a swath from southern Yellowstone National Park south into the Salt River and Wyoming ranges. Many communities in the Jackson and Star valleys topped out between 6 and 12 inches of snow. East of the Continental Divide, the storm caused strong winds with gusts in excess of 60 mph. The wind impacted areas around Clark and the Green and Rattlesnake ranges.
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 28, 3:07 PM MST, 5 hours 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 307 PM MST TUE JAN 28 2014 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY ACTIVE SHORT TERM PERIOD WITH A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING OVER THE NEXT THREE DAYS. QUIET BUT COLD DAY TODAY WITH STRONG INVERSIONS HOLDING IN THE BASINS AND VALLEYS. EVEN THE FRESHLY SNOW COVERED AREAS LIKE CASPER ARE STRUGGLING INTO THE 20S. OUT WEST... TEMPERATURES ARE JUST TRYING TO GET INTO THE DOUBLE DIGITS FOR A SHORT WHILE. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE TRICKY WITH INCREASING CLOUDS THIS EVENING IN THE WEST AND DEVELOPING WINDS ALONG THE FOOTHILLS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...ESPECIALLY THE CODY FOOTHILLS ZONE. RAPIDLY FALLING PRESSURES OVER MONTANA COMBINED WITH CREATE AN INCREASING PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS AND THEN INCREASING SUBSIDENCE ALOFT WITH AN APPROACHING JET WILL CREATE A MOUNTAIN WAVE INDUCED GAP FLOW EVENT FOR OUR FAVORED CODY FOOTHILLS AREA. THE AREA NEAR AND JUST SOUTH OF CLARK AND JUST SOUTH OF CODY WILL BE MOST FAVORABLE FOR SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR 40 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 60 MPH TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING BEFORE DECREASING. THE WEST WILL BE IMPACTED ON WEDNESDAY BY A FAST APPROACHING JET OF AT LEAST 150KTS WITH FAVORABLE MOIST ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING. IT LOOKS LIKE MOST OF THE SNOW WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL AFTER 12Z SO HAVE DELAYED THE START TIME OF THE WINTER STORM WATCHES TO 12Z IN THE FAR WEST AND 15Z FOR THE ERN HALF OF THE WATCH AREA. HEAVIEST SNOW LOOKS TO BE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH A COUPLE WEAKER DISTURBANCES MOVING WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THURSDAY. FORCING SEEMS RATHER LIMITED DURING THIS PERIOD BUT ON THE OTHER HAND...WE CONTINUE WITH FAIRLY STRONG H7 WINDS AND STEEP LAPSE RATES FROM THURSDAY ONWARD OF 7C/KM OR GREATER SO IT WON'T TAKE MUCH FORCING TO LIFT THE MOIST ATMOSPHERE. 10 TO 20 INCHES SEEMS REASONABLE IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS WITH 5 TO 10 INCHES IN MANY LOWER OF THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE WEST. THE COMBINATION OF SIGNIFICANT SNOW AND WIND WILL MAKE FOR A HIGH IMPACT STORM...PARTICULARLY WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE SRN CORRIDOR SHOULD GET A SWATH OF SNOW WITH FROPA WEDNESDAY NIGHT. IN THE NORTH...THE INITIAL NRN FRONT WILL SET UP ACROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY AND LIKELY BE ENHANCED ON THURSDAY WITH A GENERAL SAGGING OF THE WESTERLIES. THE BIG HORN BASIN...ESPECIALLY NORTH AND EAST WILL LIKELY SEE SOME SNOW DURING THIS PERIOD ALONG WITH THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF JOHNSON COUNTY. THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS SHOULD GET AT LEAST ADVISORY AMOUNTS LATER WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY BUT THE NWRN CORNER OF THE AREA IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO WARNING AMOUNTS WITH THE INCREASING LAPSE RATES AND MODERATELY STRONG NW MID LEVEL FLOW. THE FRONT WILL TRY TO SAG ALL THE WAY SOUTH INTO FREMONT AND NATRONA COUNTIES THURSDAY SO WE'LL HAVE TO WATCH FOR THAT POTENTIAL. BACK TO WIND...SHOULD SEE SOME STRONG WINDS ACROSS THE WIND CORRIDOR WEDNESDAY AND IN SWEETWATER COUNTY WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH A PERIOD OF SNOW WHICH COULD ICE UP THE ROADS. NW WINDS WILL ALSO TRY AND MIX DOWN FROM THE DUBOIS/CROWHEART INTO THE WIND RIVER BASIN WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND POTENTIALLY OFF THE LANDER FOOTHILLS. ANOTHER DISTURBANCES DROPS SE IN THE COLD NW FLOW ON FRIDAY WITH CONTINUED STEEP LAPSE RATES AND CHANCES FOR SNOW...MAINLY IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS BUT THE GFS IS SHOWING ANOTHER WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY SAGGING INTO THE NORTH HALF OF THE AREA DURING THE DAY FRIDAY .LONG TERM...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY UPR LVLS IN THE LR MDLS IN GOOD AGREEMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD...THRU AT LEAST SUNDAY MORNING...BEFORE SOME MODEST DEVIATIONS IN AMPLITUDE AND TIMING START TO BECOME MORE EVIDENT...FORCING SFC PARAMETERS OF EACH MDL TO DIVERGE. BY SUNDAY NIGHT...THE EFFECTS OF THESE DIFFERENCES BEGIN TO SHOW IN THE RH AND PRECIP FIELDS. THIS ALL LEADS BACK TO A RIDGE RUNNING SW TOPPING THE RIDGE THURSDAY NIGHT NEAR AND N OF THE SWRN YUKON AREA INTO THE POLAR REGIONS...AND THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE THAT IS DRAGGED/TRANSPORTED INTO THE FLOW AT THAT TIME. THE GFS IS GOING FOR BROKE AND BRINGING WITH IT MORE THAN THE EURO TO BEGIN WITH...AND THEN IS FORMING A BRUTALLY STRONG HIGH SOONER THAN THE EURO... COMBINING THIS WITH A LOW PRESS SYSTEM THAT FORMED ACROSS THE SW CONUS OVR THE WEEKEND...GIVING A PERIOD OF MOIST ERLY UPGLIDE THAT IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN ON SUNDAY NIGHT BEFORE CONVERGING OVR THE STATE BY MONDAY NIGHT...KEEPING COLD AND SNOW AROUND THROUGHOUT THE DAY TUE. WHILE THE UPR PATTERN OF THE EURO IS SIMILAR TO THE GFS...IT IS NOT AS LENIENT IN BRINGING THE SAME MOISTURE DOWN FROM THE NORTH POLE REGIONS...AND DOES NOT BUILD THE STRONG ARCTIC HIGH INTO THE REGION QUITE AS FAST...AND THUS NO MOISTURE ENHANCEMENT FROM DEVELOPING ERLY UPSLOPE AS W/THE GFS. ATTM...GOING WITH THE MIDDLE ROAD AS FAR AS PRECIP/SNOW CHCS IN THE EXTENDED...WITH POPS MAINLY OUT IN THE WRN/NWRN MOUNTAINS PLUS BIGHORNS. AS FOR TEMPS...SIDED JUST A BIT MORE WITH THE GFS AND A SLIGHTLY COLDER SOLUTION. .AVIATION.../00Z ISSUANCE/ WEST OF THE DIVIDE...KBPI/KJAC/KPNA/KRKS ROUTES CONDITIONS DETERIORATING AFTER 06Z WED AS A STRONG WINTER STORM APPROACHES. FREQUENT MTN OBSCURATIONS AND MVFR CIGS PREVAILING AFTER 10Z AT KJAC...SPREADING EAST THROUGH 18Z WED WITH MVFR CONDITIONS PREVAILING AT ALL TERMINALS WITH FREQUENT IFR TO LIFR CONDITIONS AT KJAC AFTER 14Z WED. WINDS WILL ALSO INCREASE FROM THE WEST THIS EVENING WITH GUSTS OVER 60KT EXPECTED OVER HIGHER TERRAIN WITH SUSTAINED 25 TO 30 KNOT WINDS ALONG THE I80 CORRIDOR INCLUDING KRKS BY 21Z WED...CONTINUING THROUGH 12Z THU. IN ADDITION...PERIODS OF LLWS WILL BE PRESENT AT KCOD AND KPNA...CHECK TAFS FOR MAGNITUDE AND TIMING. EAST OF THE DIVIDE...KCOD/KCPR/KLND/KRIW/KWRL ROUTES EXPECT GUSTY WIND TO CONTINUE AT KCPR TERMINAL SITE THROUGH 12Z THU...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS EXPECTED AFTER 06Z THU...WINDS WILL ALSO BE STRONG...WITH GUSTS OVER 50KT...IN THE WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS DURING THIS TIME. FREQUENT MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS...WITH LOWERING CIGS AFTER 00Z THU AS A WINTER STORM APPROACHES. .FIRE WEATHER... STRONG WINDS EAST OF THE DIVIDE AT TIMES THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW...ESPECIALLY OVER AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS. WEST OF THE DIVIDE...A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL MOVE IN WEDNESDAY MORNING PROVIDING A COUPLE DAYS OF SNOW OUT WEST ALONG WITH STRONG WIND. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT WYZ002-014-015-025. WINTER STORM WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT WYZ001-012-013-023-024-027. HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM MST WEDNESDAY WYZ003. && SHORT TERM...SKRBAC LONG TERM...BRAUN AVIATION...ALLEN FIRE WEATHER...SKRBAC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 304 PM MST TUE JAN 28 2014 WYZ001>020-022>030-291200- 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- 304 PM MST TUE JAN 28 2014 ...HIGH WIND WARNING CODY FOOTHILLS TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING... ...WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THE WEST WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT STRONG WEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP QUICKLY THIS EVENING IN THE CODY FOOTHILLS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR HIGH WINDS INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT THE WEST WITH SNOW AND PERIODS OF STRONG WIND WITH BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. PLEASE SEE THE WINTER STORM WATCH AND FORECASTS FOR MORE DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE URGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL TOTALS ON WEDNESDAY AND STRONG WIND GUSTS OVER 50 MPH IN THE CODY FOOTHILLS TONIGHT. TEAM RIVERTON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 313 PM MST TUE JAN 28 2014 WYZ028>030-291200- EAST SWEETWATER COUNTY-FLAMING GORGE-ROCK SPRINGS AND GREEN RIVER- 313 PM MST TUE JAN 28 2014 A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH A PERIOD OF SNOW AND STRONG WEST WIND. TRAVELLERS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG WIND...SNOW AND SLICK ROADS. STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS ON THIS CHANGE IN THE WEATHER. WYZ019-020-022-291200- CASPER MOUNTAIN-GREEN MOUNTAINS AND RATTLESNAKE RANGE- NATRONA COUNTY LOWER ELEVATIONS- 313 PM MST TUE JAN 28 2014 STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY WITH SPEEDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH GUSTING TO 40 TO 50 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF CASPER. A SERIES OF WEATHER DISTURBANCES WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SNOW TO THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. STAY TUNED FOR ANY FURTHER STATEMENTS ON THIS CHANGE IN THE WEATHER. WYZ008-009-291200- BIGHORN MOUNTAINS SOUTHEAST-BIGHORN MOUNTAINS WEST- 313 PM MST TUE JAN 28 2014 ...SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY... AN APPROACHING WEATHER SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BRING SNOWFALL AND STRONG WIND TO THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS STARTING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH THURSDAY. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE RANGE. TRAVEL OVER THE MOUNTAINS PASSES WILL LIKELY BECOME HAMPERED BY SNOW...SLICK ROADS AND SHARPLY REDUCED VISIBILITY. STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS ON THIS CHANGE IN THE WEATHER. WYZ003-004-291200- CODY FOOTHILLS-NORTH BIG HORN BASIN- 313 PM MST TUE JAN 28 2014 AFTER THE PERIOD OF HIGH WINDS IN THE CODY FOOTHILLS TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING...A COLD FRONT WILL TRY TO SAG SOUTH INTO THE AREA AND OVER INTO THE NORTHERN BIGHORN BASIN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY. A CHANCE OF SNOW IS IN THE FORECAST THROUGH MUCH OF THIS PERIOD WITH AREAS NEAR THE MOUNTAINS SEEING THE HIGHEST CHANCE. STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS ON THIS CHANGE IN THE WEATHER. WYZ010-011-291200- NORTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY-SOUTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY- 313 PM MST TUE JAN 28 2014 A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO DROP SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND HANG AROUND THROUGH THURSDAY. THERE WILL BE PERIODS OF SNOW AND GUSTY NORTH WIND WHICH MAY HAMPER TRAVEL AT TIMES. STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS ON THIS CHANGE IN THE WEATHER. SKRBAC
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 winter storm, 3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The sensor 8 miles south-southwest of Clark measured a wind gust of 69 mph.
Heavy snow fell over much of the Salt and Wyoming Ranges. The Blind Bull Summit and Commissary Ridge SNOTEL sites had the most snow; with each reporting storm totals of 21 inches.
Trained spotters reported 12 inches of snow in Alpine. Bedford and Fairview each reported 10 inches of snow.
The SNOTEL at Grand Targhee reported 24 inches of new snow. Some other amounts in the Tetons included 21 inches at Grassy Lake and 19 inches at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
The SNOTEL site at Two Oceans Plateau reported 20 inches of new snow. At Lewis Lake Divide there was 19 inches of new snow.
A trained spotter reported 12 inches of snow at Moose.
The SNOTEL sites at Kendall Ranger Station and Larsen Creek each reported 13 inches of new snow.
Snowfall amounts around the Upper Green River Foothills ranged from 4 to 8 inches.
Numerous wind gusts over 58 mph were reported. The strongest gusts were 75 mph at Fales Rock and 68 mph at Camp Creek.
Winds were sustained over 40 mph at Hiland and Twenty Mile Hill.
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, January 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: 488654, 488721, 488661, 488658, 488659, 488660, 488730, 488726, 488656, 488657.