An approaching cold front and strong winds aloft mixing to the surface combined to produce high winds across the normally prone areas of western and central Wyoming. The highest wind gust of 82 mph was recorded at the Camp Creek RAWS in southeast Fremont County.
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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.
An approaching cold front and strong winds aloft mixing to the surface combined to produce high winds across the normally prone areas of western and central Wyoming. The highest wind gust of 82 mph was recorded at the Camp Creek RAWS in southeast Fremont County. Wind gusts of 75 mph were also recorded near Clark in Park County and along Outer Drive on the south side of Casper.
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 16, 10:51 AM MST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 1051 AM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 .SHORT TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT UPDATED TO ADD IN HIGH WIND WARNINGS FOR THE CODY FOOTHILLS AND WIND CORRIDOR FROM JEFFREY CITY TO CASPER. THE WINDY SOUTH SIDE OF CASPER IS ALREADY SUSTAINED OVER 40 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 65 MPH. EAST SIDE OF CLARK ALREADY HAD ONE GUST TO 60 MPH AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE TREND WILL BE UP THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECTING ONE POTENTIAL EPISODE IN THE CODY FOOTHILLS THIS AFTERNOON AND ANOTHER THIS EVENING. THE WIND CORRIDOR LOOKS BETTER AS THE DAY WEARS ON AND THEN DECREASING LATER THIS EVENING. LOOKS LIKE AN ACTIVE FEW DAYS ARE ON TAP. AS FOR TODAY...POCATELLO RADAR IS ALREADY SHOWING SOME ECHOES MOVING INTO THE AREA WITH A BIT OF A JET MAX MOVING ACROSS THE AREA. THE SHORTWAVE CAUSING THIS PRECIPITATION WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE WEST LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THE REST OF THE AREA THIS EVENING. THIS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE SOME SNOW ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. THERE IS SOME DECENT JET SUPPORT WITH THIS SYSTEM SO SNOW COULD BE MODERATE AT TIMES. HOWEVER...THE SYSTEM DOES LOOK LIKE A FAIRLY QUICK HITTER WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOW LIKELY ENDING BY THIS EVENING. THEREFORE...WE BELIEVE THAT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS SHOULD STAY BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA FOR MOST AREAS SO WE WILL STICK WITH A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT. MEANWHILE...EAST OF THE DIVIDE WITH STORY WILL BE WIND. THE MODELS DO SHOW SOME 700 MILLIBAR WINDS GREATER THAN 50 KNOTS AT TIMES TODAY. HOWEVER...WE AGREE WITH THE PREVIOUS SHIFT THAT WINDS DON'T LINE UP PERFECTLY. SO AGAIN...WE WILL ISSUE A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR WIND FOR THE FAVORED AREAS...AKA THE SOUTHWESTERN WIND CORRIDOR...THE CODY FOOTHILLS...ETC. THE OTHER CONCERN IS LINGERING FOG IN THE WIND RIVER BASIN. WE WILL MAINTAIN THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT THERE AS WELL. THIS SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT MAY END UP LOOKING MORE LIKE A NOVEL. THE SNOW ACROSS THE WEST SHOULD TAPER OFF BY SATURDAY MORNING. WITH A SHORT LULL BETWEEN SYSTEMS WITH A BUBBLE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE STATE DURING THE DAY ON SATURDAY. THE MODELS DO HAVE SOME DIFFERENCES WITH THE TIMING OF THE NEXT SYSTEM FOR SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. THE NAM IS FASTER AND MOVES SOME SNOW FOR WESTERN WYOMING WITH THE WARM ADVECTION IN AROUND SUNSET ON SATURDAY EVENING. MEANWHILE...THE NEW AND IMPROVED GFS...SOUNDS LIKE A COMMERCIAL FOR A CLEANING PRODUCT...IS 6 TO 12 HOURS SLOWER. AS A WISE MAN ONCE SAID...WARM ADVECTION WAITS FOR NO MAN. THEREFORE...WE LIKE THE FASTER TIMING. THE OTHER CONCERN IS FOR PRECIPITATION TYPE. WITH THE PACIFIC ORIGIN OF THE SYSTEM SOME WARM AIR MAY WORK IN AND POSSIBLY ALLOW FOR RAIN TO MOVE IN AT THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. AT THIS POINT...THE SNOW LEVEL LOOKS TO BE 6500 TO 7000 FEET BUT THIS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. THE MODELS ARE FAIRLY CONSISTENT WITH HAVING THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE TETONS. THE DETAILS ARE STILL MUDDY AND CONTINUITY LOOKED REASONABLE SO WE MADE FEW CHANGES. MEANWHILE...EAST OF THE DIVIDE DOWNSLOPING FLOW LOOKS TO KEEP THINGS MAINLY DRY BUT WITH GUSTY WINDS AT TIMES. THE ONE WRINKLE IS THE GFS BRINGS SOME PRECIPITATION ACROSS NORTHERN WYOMING LATER SUNDAY NIGHT. THE NAM HAS NOTHING HOWEVER. FOR NOW...WE KEPT THE FORECAST DRY BUT SOMETHING TO WATCH NEVERTHELESS. .LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT. BEST CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. ONE WOULD EXPECT SOME LIGHT SNOW AT THE LOWER ELEVATIONS AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH BUT AMOUNTS WOULD BE LIGHT. EXPECT BRISK WIND WITH THIS SYSTEM AS WELL. A WEAK WEATHER SYSTEM IN THE NW FLOW MOVES THROUGH ON TUESDAY WITH SOME MOUNTAIN SNOW. THE GFS AND ECMWF MODELS HINT AT AN UPSLOPE EVENT EAST OF THE DIVIDE TUE NIGHT INTO WED MORNING. THE MODELS ARE LACKING IN PRECIP GENERATION BUT IF THIS PATTERN DOES COME TO PASS THERE WILL BE SOME SNOW WITH THIS SYSTEM. PRECIP DECREASES OR ENDS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY LOOK DRY. ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM MAY IMPACT THE REGION NEXT FRIDAY. THE GFS IS STRONGER AND HAS MORE IMPACT THAN THE ECMWF AT THIS POINT. WILL INTRODUCE A CHANCE OF SNOW NEXT FRIDAY AND ADJUST AS NEEDED IN THE COMING DAYS. AS FOR TEMPS...A COLD WEEK FOR MOST AREAS MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY BUT NOT TOO FAR OFF SEASONAL VALUES FOR MID JANUARY. THE BASIN INVERSIONS SHOULD NOT BE MUCH OF FACTOR DUE TO THE ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN. .AVIATION.../18Z ISSUANCE/ EAST OF THE DIVIDE...KCOD/KCPR/KLND/KRIW/KWRL ROUTES EXPECT INCREASING WIND AT RIDGE TOP LEVEL AND ACROSS THE WIND CORRIDOR VCNTY 50SM NE KRKS-CPR TODAY. THIS WILL BRING AREAS OF LLWS ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE DIVIDE...VCNTY KCOD- KLND...THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY. WINDS WILL BECOME NW BEHIND A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE THIS EVENING...BUT LIKELY CONTINUE TO BLOW OVER SHALLOW BASIN INVERSIONS RESULTING IN PERIODS OF LLWS OVER KRIW TONIGHT. WEST OF THE DIVIDE...KBPI/KJAC/KPNA/KRKS ROUTES A BAND OF SHSN AND ABOUT A 4-6 HOUR PERIOD OF NMRS IFR/MVFR SHSN ACROSS THE FAR WEST VALLEYS...VCNTY KJAC-KAFO...AND WIDESPREAD MTN OBSCURATIONS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. ADDITIONALLY...RIDGE TOP WINDS WILL INCREASE TO BETWEEN 40-50KTS WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE BRINGING AREAS OF LLWS. THE MAIN WINDOW FOR THE BRUNT OF ACTIVITY WILL BE BETWEEN 20Z FRI-01Z SAT. RAPID DRYING FROM THE NW WILL FOLLOW THIS SYSTEM THIS EVENING BUT SOME LOWER MVFR/IFR CIGS AND MTN OBSCURATIONS ARE LIKELY TO LINGER BEHIND THE FRONT OVERNIGHT. .FIRE WEATHER... SNOW WILL MOVE INTO THE WEST TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH ANOTHER ROUND SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. THIS WILL ALSO HELP TO MIX UP THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE AND IMPROVE DISPERSION. THE LAST PLACE FOR THE INVERSIONS TO BREAK WILL BE THE DEEPER RIVER VALLEYS AND THE BASINS EAST OF THE DIVIDE. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 9 PM MST THIS EVENING WYZ019-020. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 3 AM MST SATURDAY WYZ003. && SHORT TERM...HATTINGS/PS LONG TERM...AR AVIATION...ALLEN FIRE WEATHER...HATTINGS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 904 AM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 WYZ001>020-022>030-171200- 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- 904 AM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 ...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE CODY FOOTHILLS THROUGH 3 AM MST SATURDAY... ...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE GREEN MOUNTAINS...RATTLESNAKE RANGE AND NATRONA COUNTY UNTIL 9 PM THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT VERY STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS...ADJACENT CODY FOOTHILLS...AND ALSO ACROSS THE WIND CORRIDOR BETWEEN SOUTH PASS AND CASPER. HIGH WINDS ARE EXPECTED FROM AROUND CODY TO CLARK AND JEFFREY CITY TO CASPER. LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW WILL FALL ACROSS THE WEST TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...LIGHT TO MODERATE AMOUNTS OF SNOW POSSIBLE OVER THE WEST...WITH THE BEST CHANCE OF SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL OVER THE FAR NORTHWEST. MONDAY...ANOTHER CHANCE OF SNOW FOR THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT DENSE FOG. THANK YOU. TEAM RIVERTON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 815 AM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 WYZ001-012-013-023>025-170000- JACKSON HOLE-SALT RIVER AND WYOMING RANGES-STAR VALLEY- TETON AND GROS VENTRE MOUNTAINS-UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN FOOTHILLS- YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK- 815 AM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY TODAY. ACCUMULATIONS WILL GENERALLY BE FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS AND 3 TO 6 INCHES ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. IN ADDITION...GUSTY WINDS ACROSS RIDGETOPS AND PASSES WILL BRING AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO WATCH FOR SLICK OR SNOW COVERED ROADS IN ADDITION TO RAPID CHANGES IN VISIBILITY. WYZ019-020-022-170000- CASPER MOUNTAIN-GREEN MOUNTAINS AND RATTLESNAKE RANGE- NATRONA COUNTY LOWER ELEVATIONS- 815 AM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL REMAIN GUSTY THROUGH THE DAY TODAY WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH LOCAL GUSTS OVER 50 MPH INTO THE AFTERNOON. THE STRONGEST GUSTS WILL BE FOUND ON OUTER DRIVE SOUTHEAST OF CASPER. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO WATCH FOR STRONG CROSSWINDS...ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES AND VEHICLES TOWING TRAILERS. WYZ002-003-170000- ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS-CODY FOOTHILLS- 815 AM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE DAY TODAY WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH TO 55 MPH INTO THE AFTERNOON. THE STRONGEST GUSTS WILL BE IN THE VICINITY OF CLARK WERE LOCALLY HIGHER GUSTS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO WATCH FOR STRONG CROSSWINDS...ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES AND VEHICLES TOWING TRAILERS. TEAM RIVERTON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High wind gusts were found across the Green and Rattlesnake ranges. The highest wind gust was 82 mph at Camp Creek.
Strong wind gusts blew along Wyoming Boulevard on the south side of Casper. The highest wind gust was 75 mph. Winds were not as strong farther north.
Several wind gusts past 58 mph were recorded at a weather station near Clark. A peak gust of 75 mph was measured at 1718MST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, January 2015
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: 550651, 550652, 550650.