Moisture from a storm system moving in from the North Pacific combined with favorable jet dynamics and an Arctic front dropping south out of Montana to bring heavy snow to much of western Wyoming and central portions of the state. The heaviest snow fell in the western mountains where around two feet of new snow was reported in the Absaroka and Teton ranges.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
Moisture from a storm system moving in from the North Pacific combined with favorable jet dynamics and an Arctic front dropping south out of Montana to bring heavy snow to much of western Wyoming and central portions of the state. The heaviest snow fell in the western mountains where around two feet of new snow was reported in the Absaroka and Teton ranges. The western valleys were also hard hit by snow with frequent reports of 6 to 12 inches. Valley snowfall was heaviest at the north end of Jackson Hole as Moran piled up 20 inches and Moose reported 18 inches. Meanwhile, east of the Continental Divide the heaviest snow fell around Cody where 6 to 8 inches was recorded.
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 13, 3:02 AM MST, 4 hours 58 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 302 AM MST THU NOV 13 2014 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT OUR RESIDENT COLD AND STABLE SURFACE HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO WEAKEN AND SHIFT EAST AS A PACIFIC SHORT WAVE APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. SNOW WILL BEGIN ACROSS THE SOUTH AND WEST THIS AFTERNOON... INCREASING IN INTENSITY THIS EVENING. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY BEGINS FOR THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AT 5PM THIS EVENING AND LASTS THROUGH NOON ON SATURDAY...THE TIMING AND SCOPE OF THE ADVISORY LOOKS GOOD FOR NOW. THERE IS CERTAINLY SOME ROOM TO ADD MORE AREAS LATER IN THE STORM...ESPECIALLY DURING THE FRIDAY NIGHT TIMEFRAME. SNOW CHANCES DO NOT REALLY SPREAD EAST OF THE DIVIDE UNTIL FRIDAY AFTERNOON WHEN LAPSE RATES STEEPEN AND WE RECEIVE A BIT MORE FORCING ALOFT FOR SOME MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWER ACTIVITY. MUCH MILDER AIR WILL BE MOVING IN TOO...IT COULD EVEN BE WARM ENOUGH ACROSS PORTIONS OF SWEETWATER AND LINCOLN COUNTIES FOR SOME RAIN TO MIX IN. LATER ON FRIDAY...FOCUS TURNS BACK TO THE CANADIAN LOW THAT WILL SEND DOWN ANOTHER ARCTIC COLD FRONT FOR FRIDAY NIGHT WITH THE MAIN BAROCLINIC BAND DIVING SOUTH...RAKING THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THIS SYSTEM WILL BE SEEDED AHEAD OF TIME BY PLENTY OF PACIFIC MOISTURE AND WILL HAVE TO BE WATCHED FOR ADDITIONAL WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES... ESPECIALLY ALONG INTERSTATE 80 WHERE THIS SYSTEM COULD HAVE A BIGGER IMPACT THAN THE SYSTEM WE SAW MONDAY AND TUESDAY OF THIS WEEK. SNOW WILL CLEAR FROM NORTH TO SOUTH ON SATURDAY...WITH ANOTHER VERY COLD AND POTENTIALLY RECORD BREAKING COLD NIGHT FOR SATURDAY NIGHT. THE AIRMASS IS NOT AS COLD AS THE SYSTEM EARLIER THIS WEEK BUT IT WILL CERTAINLY BE COLD ENOUGH FOR WIDESPREAD LOWS BELOW ZERO AGAIN. .LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SYNOPSIS...A COUPLE OF CLIPPER SYSTEMS WILL DIVE INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS SUNDAY AND MONDAY SENDING REINFORCING SHOTS OF COLD AND MOSTLY DRY AIR ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN WYOMING. AN UPPER RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE GRADUALLY BUILDS INTO THE AREA TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THE NEXT INCOMING PACIFIC SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO STAY MOSTLY SOUTH OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. DISCUSSION...HIGH AMPLITUDE UPPER RIDGE REMAINS ALONG THE WEST COAST SUNDAY AND MONDAY WITH NEXT SYSTEM OF ARCTIC ORIGINS DIVING SOUTH INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS ON SUNDAY. THIS ONE WILL BE MORE OF A GLANCING BLOW WITH SNOWFALL AND THE BRUNT OF THE ARCTIC AIR SPILLING DOWN INTO THE EASTERN DAKOTAS AND MINNESOTA. SECONDARY VORT LOBE IS EXPECTED TO ROUND THE BACKSIDE OF THE COLD TROUGH ROUGHLY ALONG A GGW-RAP ROUTE EARLY MONDAY MORNING. MEDIUM-RANGE MODELS BRING SOME SPOTTY QPF ACROSS THE NORTH IN THIS PATTERN...AND FORECAST KEEPS LOW CHANCES OF SNOW CONFINED TO THE BIGHORN RANGE. AFTER SATURDAY'S COLD FRONT...THE TEMPERATURE TREND WILL BE RELATIVELY MILDER THOUGH HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL STILL BE 20-25F BELOW NORMAL EAST OF THE DIVIDE SUNDAY AND MONDAY. UPPER FLOW OVER NORTH AMERICA BEGINS TO DEAMPLIFY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WITH UPPER RIDGE ALONG THE WEST COAST BROADENING ACROSS THE ROCKIES. INCOMING PACIFIC STORM SYSTEMS WILL SPLIT ALONG THE WEST COAST INTO THIS RIDGE WITH LATEST MODEL RUNS TRENDING MUCH SLOWER AND FURTHER SOUTH WITH MAIN STORM TRACK ON THURSDAY RESULTING IN LESS IMPACT ON WYOMING. FORECAST KEEPS SOME LOW POPS ACROSS THE WEST AND SOUTH ON THURSDAY ON THE EDGE OF THIS NEXT SYSTEM. && .AVIATION.../12Z ISSUANCE/ EAST OF THE DIVIDE...KCOD/KCPR/KLND/KRIW/KWRL ROUTES THERE COULD BE SOME FOG/LOW CLOUDS WITH IFR CONDITIONS THIS MORNING...BUT MOST AREAS SHOULD BE SKC WITH LIGHT WINDS. RAPIDLY INCREASING MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS WILL OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING STORM SYSTEM. HOWEVER...MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL REMAIN ALONG AND WEST OF THE DIVIDE. AFTER 06Z...SOME LLWS COULD DEVELOP ON THE LEE SIDE OF THE DIVIDE...PRIMARILY IMPACTING KLND. WEST OF THE DIVIDE...KBPI/KJAC/KPNA/KRKS ROUTES THERE COULD BE PATCHY FOG/LOW CLOUDS THIS MORNING...BUT MOST AREAS WILL BE MAINLY SKC EARLY WITH LIGHT WINDS. HOWEVER A STORM SYSTEM APPROACHING THE AREA WILL RESULT IN RAPIDLY INCREASING MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS THIS MORNING. CEILINGS WILL CONTINUE TO LOWER IN THE AFTERNOON WITH SNOW SHOWERS DEVELOPING OVER THE SOUTHWEST BETWEEN 17Z AND 20Z. THIS SNOWFALL WILL SPREAD NORTHWARD AND EXPAND IN COVERAGE OVER MUCH OF WESTERN WYOMING BETWEEN 21Z AND 03Z. PERIODS OF SNOW IS THEN EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT...WITH THE BEST CONCENTRATION/INTENSITY OCCURRING AFTER 06Z OVER FAR WESTERN WYOMING. PERIODS OF MVFR/BRIEF IFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE SOUTHWEST AFTER 19Z INCLUDING KBPI...KPNA...AND KRKS...WITH BETTER CHANCES LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. THE MVFR/BRIEF IFR CONDITIONS AT KJAC WILL PROBABLY HOLD OFF UNTIL AROUND 00Z...WITH THE BEST CHANCE OF PROLONGED IFR CONDITIONS IN LOW VSBY IN SNOW OCCURRING AFTER 06Z. MOUNTAINS WILL BECOME OBSCURED IN THE AFTERNOON AND REMAIN OBSCURED THROUGH TONIGHT WITH MAINLY LIFR. WINDS WILL BE MAINLY LIGHT THROUGH THE DAY...BUT WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE ESPECIALLY AT MOUNTAIN TOP...AND SWEETWATER COUNTY LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE NIGHT. && .FIRE WEATHER... THE ARCTIC AIR WILL REMAIN IN PLACE TODAY...ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE DIVIDE AND IN BASINS. OVER THE SOUTHERN WIND CORRIDOR FROM AROUND ROCK SPRINGS THROUGH CASPER WILL SEE A SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH DEVELOP. WITH VERY COLD SURFACE TEMPERATURES AND STRONG INVERSIONS OVER THE AREA...MIXING HEIGHTS WILL BE LOW WITH GENERALLY LIGHT TO CALM TRANSPORT WINDS CREATING POOR SMOKE DISPERSAL. A PACIFIC TROUGH WILL MOVE INTO THE WEST TODAY WITH SNOW DEVELOPING IN THE SOUTHWEST AND SPREADING NORTH AND EAST THROUGH FRIDAY. PLEASE REFER TO THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOWFALL DETAILS IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON MST SATURDAY WYZ001-012>015-023>025-027. && SHORT TERM...ALLEN LONG TERM...AEM AVIATION...WM FIRE WEATHER...ALLEN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 500 AM MST THU NOV 13 2014 WYZ001>020-022>030-141200- 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- 500 AM MST THU NOV 13 2014 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FAR WESTERN WYOMING IN EFFECT FROM TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AREAS OF FREEZING FOG WITH VISIBILITY OF LESS THAN ONE-HALF MILE AT TIMES WILL BE ENCOUNTERED THROUGH 9 AM ALONG THE NORTH PLATTE RIVER IN SOUTHERN NATRONA COUNTY...THE WIND RIVER BASIN...AND ALONG INTERSTATE 80 WEST OF GREEN RIVER. EXPECT SOME BLACK ICE TO BE DEPOSITED ON ROADS IN THE FOG. SNOW WILL SPREAD INTO THE SOUTH AND WEST TODAY WHILE IT REMAINS COLD IN THE BASINS EAST OF THE DIVIDE. SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS TONIGHT...MAKING TRAVEL DIFFICULT AT TIMES... ESPECIALLY OVER WESTERN MOUNTAIN PASSES LIKE TETON PASS AND TOGWOTEE PASS. INTERSTATE 80 MAY BECOME SLICK WITH ACCUMULATING SNOW THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SEE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY PRODUCT FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...A CANADIAN COLD FRONT WILL SPREAD AREAS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW...AND GUSTY NORTH WIND WITH BLOWING SNOW... SOUTH ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN WYOMING. SNOW WILL DECREASE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH DURING THE DAY SATURDAY FOLLOWED BY CLEARING AND BITTERLY COLD TEMPERATURES SATURDAY NIGHT. SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL WILL CONTINUE IN FAR WESTERN WYOMING FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING BEFORE ENDING FROM THE NORTH. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE URGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. THANK YOU. TEAM RIVERTON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 355 AM MST THU NOV 13 2014 WYZ017-131500- WIND RIVER BASIN- 355 AM MST THU NOV 13 2014 AREAS OF FREEZING FOG WITH VISIBILITY LESS THAN ONE-HALF MILE AT TIMES WILL ACCOMPANY BITTER COLD TEMPERATURES NEAR 20 BELOW ZERO THROUGH 9 AM. THE FOG WILL BE MOST EXTENSIVE FROM RIVERTON NORTH AND EAST TO BOYSEN RESERVOIR. THE FOG MAY DEPOSIT BLACK ICE ON ROADS RESULTING IN EXTREMELY SLICK CONDITIONS THOUGH ROADS MAY APPEAR DRY. WYZ020-131500- NATRONA COUNTY LOWER ELEVATIONS- 355 AM MST THU NOV 13 2014 AREAS OF FREEZING FOG WITH VISIBILITY LESS THAN ONE-HALF MILE AT TIMES WILL ACCOMPANY BITTER COLD TEMPERATURES NEAR 20 BELOW ZERO THROUGH 9 AM. THE FOG WILL BE MOST EXTENSIVE FROM THE CASPER AREA AND SOUTHWEST ALONG THE NORTH PLATTE RIVER AND HIGHWAY 220 TO MUDDY GAP. THE FOG MAY DEPOSIT BLACK ICE ON ROADS RESULTING IN EXTREMELY SLICK CONDITIONS THOUGH ROADS MAY APPEAR DRY. WYZ028-131500- ROCK SPRINGS AND GREEN RIVER- 355 AM MST THU NOV 13 2014 AREAS OF FREEZING FOG WITH VISIBILITY LESS THAN ONE-HALF MILE AT TIMES WILL BE ENCOUNTERED ACROSS SOUTHWEST SWEETWATER COUNTY. THE FOG WILL BE MOST EXTENSIVE ALONG AND WEST OF FLAMING GORGE RESERVOIR WITH SOME FOG ALSO LIKELY TO BE ENCOUNTERED ALONG INTERSTATE 80 WEST OF GREEN RIVER. THE FOG MAY DEPOSIT BLACK ICE ON ROADS RESULTING IN EXTREMELY SLICK CONDITIONS THOUGH ROADS MAY APPEAR DRY. 21
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Trained spotters measured 22 inches of new snow at the top of the Jackson Hole Ski Resort. Other notable amounts included 23 inches at the Grand Targhee SNOTEL.
Heavy snow fell across portions of the Star Valley. The highest amount was near Thayne where 13 inches fell. Other areas around the northern Star Valley had 6-8 inches of snow. Lesser amounts in the southern Star Valley.
Heavy snow fell through the Jackson Valley. The highest amounts were in northern areas where Moran reported 20 inches and 18 inches at Moose. Around the city of Jackson. amounts were generally 8 to 12 inches.
Trained spotters reported 6 to 8 inches of new snow around Cody.
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, November 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: 546126, 546146, 546127, 546125.