The combination of moisture associated with a storm over the southwest United States and arctic air pushing south across Wyoming produced widespread heavy snow. Snowfall of 12 to 18 inches was common in the mountains with a few locations climbing to around 2 feet.
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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.
The combination of moisture associated with a storm over the southwest United States and arctic air pushing south across Wyoming produced widespread heavy snow. Snowfall of 12 to 18 inches was common in the mountains with a few locations climbing to around 2 feet. Totals of 10 to 20 inches were measured in Jackson Hole and the Bondurant Valley, while amounts around 6 inches were observed in Casper. Record-setting cold temperatures were recorded across mainly northern and central Wyoming following this system. More information regarding the onset of this winter storm is contained in the February 2014 Storm Data publication.
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 28, 10:53 PM MST, 1 hour 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 1053 PM MST FRI FEB 28 2014 .UPDATE... NO BIG CHANGES FOR THE EVENING UPDATE...EXCEPT TO ISSUE A WINTER WX ADVISORY FOR THE UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN...INCLUDING BIG PINEY AND FARSON. TRIMMED SOME SNOWFALL TOTALS DOWN A BIT IN THE WARNING AREAS. 06Z AVIATION DISCUSSION ADDED BELOW. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 201 PM MST FRI FEB 28 2014/ SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY COLD ARCTIC COLD FRONT THROUGH ALL BUT SOUTHWEST AND FAR WEST TODAY. ONE PACIFIC TROUGH PASSED THROUGH LAST NIGHT AND THIS MORNING DUMPING 12 TO 24 INCHES OF SNOW IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. THE ARCTIC COLD FRONT HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR 4 TO 8 INCHES IN THE NORTH WITH AN INCH OR TWO AROUND CASPER. LIMITED SNOWFALL HAS BEEN OBSERVED IN THE BIG HORN BASIN WHERE AREAS LIGHT SNOW HAS OCCURRED TO A DUSTING IN THE WIND RIVER BASIN. SOME AREAS OF THE NORTH HAVE TEMPERATURES FROM ZERO TO 10 ABOVE THIS AFTERNOON. THE MAJOR PACIFIC LOW OFF THE WEST COAST HAS SPREAD SIGNIFICANT MOISTURE ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN. THE LEADING EDGE OF PRECIPITATION HAS MOVED FROM NORTHERN UTAH INTO FAR SOUTHERN IDAHO AND WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY NORTH AND EAST THIS EVENING OVERRUNNING THE COLD ARCTIC AIR. THE MOISTURE WILL COMBINE WITH MID LEVEL INSTABILITY AND SIGNIFICANT UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE FOR VET RY DYNAMIC CONDITIONS FOR MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF THE AREA THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. SWEETWATER AND THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF SUBLETTE COUNTY ARE NOT CURRENTLY IN THE WARNING AND ARE EXPECTED TO BE DRY SLOTTED FOR MUCH OF THE TIME. 2 TO 4 INCHES IS CURRENTLY FORECAST FOR THESE FRINGE AREAS. ANOTHER 25 TO 35 INCHES MAY FALL IN THE TETONS AND SOUTHERN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK...AND EAST INTO TOGWOTEE PASS AND THE NORTHERN GROS VENTRE MOUNTAINS. MUCH OF THE LOWER ELEVATIONS WILL SEE FROM 4 TO 8 INCHES WITH AREAS AT OR NEAR A FOOT POSSIBLE ALONG THE EASTERN AND NORTHERN FACING SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS...INCLUDING CASPER...LANDER...BUFFALO AND CODY FOOTHILLS. SATURDAY NIGHT THE SNOWFALL SHOULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED WITH MUCH OF THE AREA FALLING BELOW ZERO TO 15 BELOW ZERO IN THE BIG HORN BASIN AND EASTERN JOHNSON COUNTY. SUNDAY THE FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP SNOWFALL IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS WHILE THE SNOW ENDS EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. COLD AIR WILL REMAIN ON SUNDAY. LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NO REAL CHANGE WITH THE AFTERNOON FORECAST PACKAGE FROM EARLIER THIS MORNING. UPPER LEVEL FLOW REMAINS ZONAL ACROSS THE COWBOY STATE THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD...ALLOWING FOR A CHANCE FOR SNOW ACROSS THE WEST THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD. THE COLD ARCTIC AIR IN PLACE ON SUNDAY...WILL QUICKLY MODIFY BY MONDAY...WITH TEMPERATURES RISING 20 TO 30 DEGREES HIGHER COMPARED TO SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES FOR MOST LOCATIONS WILL BE ABOVE FREEZING THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. THIS...ALONG WITH THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED DOWNSLOPING WINDS...SHOULD HELP ERODE THE SNOW COVER FROM THIS WEEKENDS STORM. OTHERWISE...BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE IN LINE BRINGING THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM ACROSS THE COWBOY STATE THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS SYSTEM WILL EXIT THE AREA BY SATURDAY MORNING. THIS SYSTEM APPEARS TO BE RELATIVELY WEAK AT THIS TIME...WITH NO AMPLE JET SUPPORT...AND ASSOCIATED DYNAMICS WELL TO THE SOUTH. AVIATION.../06Z ISSUANCE/ WIDESPREAD MVFR/LOW VFR CEILINGS...WITH PERIODS OF MVFR/IFR VSBY IN SNOW ACROSS THE ENTIRE LOWER ELEVATIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD. THE HEAVIEST AND MOST WIDESPREAD SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED THROUGH 19Z. MOUNTAINS WILL REMAIN OBSCURED...WITH LIFR CONDITIONS IN SNOW AND LOW CLOUDS OVER MOUNTAIN PASSES. FIRE WEATHER... NO FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS EXPECTED WITH WIDESPREAD SNOWFALL AND COLD AIR ON THE WAY. WINTER STORM WARNINGS ACROSS THE AREA EXCEPT FOR SWEETWATER AND LOWER ELEVATIONS OF SUBLETTE COUNTIES. LOW MIXING HEIGHTS WITH POOR SMOKE DISPERSAL EXPECTED. SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL EXPECTED MOST AREAS. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST SUNDAY WYZ001>020-022>025-027. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM MST SUNDAY WYZ026. && UPDATE...WM SHORT TERM...C.BAKER LONG TERM...LAVOIE AVIATION...WM FIRE WEATHER...C.BAKER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 923 PM MST FRI FEB 28 2014 WYZ001>020-022>030-011300- 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- 923 PM MST FRI FEB 28 2014 ...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR MOST OF WESTERN AND NORTHERN WYOMING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT... ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOWFALL...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA OVERNIGHT. PLEASE SEE WINTER WEATHER PRODUCTS AND FORECASTS FOR MORE DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SATURDAY...SNOWFALL WILL CONTINUE INTO THE NIGHT...WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOW EXPECTED THROUGH MIDDAY SATURDAY. PLEASE SEE WINTER WEATHER PRODUCTS AND FORECASTS FOR DETAILS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE WELL BELOW NORMAL EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...MODERATE SNOW ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AGAIN. TRAVEL OVER TOGWOTEE AND TETON PASS MAY BE IMPACTED. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM COULD BRING SNOW TO BOTH SIDES OF THE DIVIDE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE URGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. THANK YOU. TEAM RIVERTON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow continued to fall in Yellowstone Park. The highest storm totals included 27 inches at the Snake River Ranger Station and 21 inches at the Yellowstone East Entrance.
Very heavy snow continued into March from February. The area around the Grand Targhee ski resort at the most snow with 38 inches recorded at the SNOTEL with 34 inches measured at the ski area. The areas near the Jackson Hole ski area were also hard hit with over 2 feet commonplace.
Heavy snow fell across the Jackson Valley. The northern Jackson Valley had the most with Moose receiving anywhere from 20 to 24 inches. There were lesser amounts toward Jackson where amounts around a foot were commonplace.
Heavy snow fell across the Salt and Wyoming Range. The highest amounts were 23 inches at Indian Creek and 20 inches at Blind Bull summit.
The public and a COOP observer totaled 16-17 of snow in Bondurant.
Heavy snow fell across the western slopes of the Wind River Range. Some of the highest amounts included 26 inches at the Kendall Ranger Station and 18 inches at Larson Creek.
Heavy snow continued across the eastern slopes of the Wind River Range. The highest amounts included 18 inches at the South Pass SNOTEL and 14.5 inches in Atlantic City.
Heavy snow continued into the first of March. The highest amounts included 20 inches at Blackwater and 19 inches at Evening Star.
The SNOTEL at Bone Spring recorded 12 inches of new snow.
The trained spotter reported 6 inches of snow at Jeffrey City.
Snow continued from the previous day. The Casper COOP observer reported a storm total of 8.2 inches. Reports of 6 to 7 inches were common around the south side of Casper.
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, March 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: 496792, 496794, 496796, 496801, 496805, 496806, 496809, 496813, 496815, 496818, 496820.