A favorable jet stream position and strong mountaintop winds allowed for the production of high wind in the Absaroka Range and the foothills near Clark. The strongest wind was over Chief Joseph Pass where winds were sustained over 50 mph at times and the peak gust was 77 mph.
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The episode as NWS RIW wrote it up.
A favorable jet stream position and strong mountaintop winds allowed for the production of high wind in the Absaroka Range and the foothills near Clark. The strongest wind was over Chief Joseph Pass where winds were sustained over 50 mph at times and the peak gust was 77 mph. A mesonet station west of Clark measured a wind gust to 81 mph.
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 Mar 14, 1:45 PM MST, 2 hours 34 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 245 PM MDT SAT MAR 14 2015 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY A MOIST BUT STABLE WEST FLOW WILL BRING LIMITED SHOWERS TO THE NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS AND WINDY CONDITIONS TO AREAS EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. HIGH WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN PARK COUNTY ALONG THE FOOTHILLS OF THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS...ESPECIALLY AROUND CLARK. WINDS WILL BE RATHER STRONG THROUGH THE WIND CORRIDOR FOR SOUTH PASS...ACROSS NATRONA AND SOUTHERN JOHNSON COUNTIES AS WELL. THE CLOUD COVER AND STRONG LOW LEVEL MIXING WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES UP OVER NIGHT AND THROUGH SUNDAY. .LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY HIGH PRESSURE GENERALLY EXPECTED TO LINGER OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST THROUGH THE EARLY PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE ASSOCIATED RIDGE IS A BIT DIRTY...PROMOTING SOME HIGH LEVEL CLOUD COVER AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTH AND WEST. GENERALLY DRY CONDITIONS WITH WARMING TEMPERATURES ANTICIPATED THROUGH TUESDAY...THOUGH ANY DEVELOPING CLOUD COVER WILL IMPACT THE WARMING POTENTIAL. A SMALL BIT OF ENERGY WILL DIVE SOUTH LATE TUESDAY AND INTO WEDNESDAY...MAINLY IMPACTING THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. HOWEVER...AS THE SYSTEM MOVES ALONG THE WYOMING BORDER...IT COULD BRING SOME SHOWER ACTIVITY. LIGHT SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY...WITH ACTIVITY INCREASING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS INTO THURSDAY AS THE SYSTEM BEGINS TO HEDGE SLIGHTLY EASTWARD. MODELS HAVE VARIANCE ON THE LOCATION OF THE ASSOCIATED SHOWERS...SO LEFT GENERALIZED LIGHT SHOWERS ACROSS THE AREA UNTIL CONFIDENCE INCREASES. ANOTHER RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL REPLACE THIS SYSTEM...THOUGH DIFFERENCES IN MODEL TIMING LEAVE SOME QUESTION AS TO THE ARRIVAL OF THE RIDGE. GENERALLY DRY CONDITIONS ANTICIPATED BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON...LASTING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. THE ECMWF INDICATES THE ARRIVAL OF ANOTHER WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE AND ASSOCIATED SHOWER ACTIVITY BY SATURDAY EVENING...WHILE THE GFS MAINTAINS ITS DRY SOLUTION. INCLUDED SOME LIGHT SHOWER ACTIVITY...MAINLY ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. && .AVIATION.../00Z ISSUANCE/ EAST OF THE DIVIDE...KCOD/KCPR/KLND/KRIW/KWRL ROUTES VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT THE AIRPORTS. INCREASING MID/HIGH CLOUDINESS...WITH CONSIDERABLE MID CLOUDINESS TONIGHT. WINDY TO VERY WINDY WEST TO SOUTHWEST WIND WILL LAST THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD IN THE WIND CORRIDOR FROM SOUTH PASS TO CASPER...AS WELL AS THE LEE SIDE OF MOUNTAIN RANGES AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS. ALSO...LLWS WILL BE PRESENT AT TIMES IN THE FOOTHILLS...PRIMARILY IMPACTING THE KCOD TERMINAL. WEST OF THE DIVIDE...KBPI/KJAC/KPNA/KRKS ROUTES VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT THE AIRPORTS. CONSIDERABLE HIGH CLOUDINESS WITH INCREASING CLOUDINESS IN THE 012-180 KFT MSL THIS EVENING...AND LASTING THROUGH THE NIGHT. HIGHER MOUNTAIN TOPS WILL BECOME OBSCURED. BREEZY WESTERLY WIND THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING OVER THE SOUTH...AND A BREEZY SOUTH WINDS ACROSS JACKSON HOLE. TURBULENCE OVER MOUNTAINS WILL ALSO BE INCREASING THROUGH SUNDAY. && .FIRE WEATHER... A MOIST BUT STABLE WEST FLOW WILL BRING LIMITED SHOWERS TO THE NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS AND WINDY CONDITIONS TO AREAS EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. HIGH WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN PARK COUNTY ALONG THE FOOTHILLS OF THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS...ESPECIALLY AROUND CLARK. WINDS WILL BE RATHER STRONG THROUGH THE WIND CORRIDOR FOR SOUTH PASS...ACROSS NATRONA AND SOUTHERN JOHNSON COUNTIES AS WELL. THE CLOUD COVER AND STRONG LOW LEVEL MIXING WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES UP OVER NIGHT AND THROUGH SUNDAY. SMOKE DISPERSAL WILL BE FAIR TO GOOD SUNDAY. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 9 PM MDT SUNDAY WYZ003. && SHORT TERM...C.BAKER LONG TERM...BRANHAM AVIATION...C.BAKER FIRE WEATHER...C.BAKER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 400 AM MDT SAT MAR 14 2015 WYZ001>020-022>030-151200- 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 MDT SAT MAR 14 2015 ...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE CODY FOOTHILLS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...STRONG WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS AND CODY FOOTHILLS. WINDS WILL REACH 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 60 MPH AT TIMES. IT WILL ALSO BE QUITE WINDY THIS WEEKEND ACROSS THE SOUTHERN WIND CORRIDOR BETWEEN ROCK SPRINGS AND CASPER. LOCALIZED AREAS LIKE OUTER DRIVE IN CASPER MAY SEE GUSTS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING...STRONG WINDS CONTINUE OVER THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS AND CODY FOOTHILLS. WINDS WILL REACH 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 60 MPH AT TIMES. WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...A CHANCE OF SNOW FOR THE MOUNTAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. TEAM RIVERTON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 107 PM MDT SAT MAR 14 2015 WYZ019-020-022-150200- CASPER MOUNTAIN-GREEN MOUNTAINS AND RATTLESNAKE RANGE- NATRONA COUNTY LOWER ELEVATIONS- 107 PM MDT SAT MAR 14 2015 WINDY CONDITIONS EXPECTED INTO THE EVENING HOURS. WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WIND CORRIDOR FROM SOUTH PASS... THROUGH NATRONA COUNTY...INCLUDING CASPER. A FEW ISOLATED LOCATIONS...PARTICULARLY OUTER DRIVE...COULD SEE BRIEF WINDS GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH. HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRAILERS SHOULD TAKE CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING. IN ADDITION...WARMING TEMPERATURES AND LOWER HUMIDITIES WILL COMBINE WITH THESE STRONG WINDS...CREATING ELEVATED FIRE DANGER TODAY...PARTICULARLY IN DRY GRASSY AREAS. THOSE PLANNING ON BURNING SHOULD KEEP UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST FORECAST AND CONDITIONS...OR CONSIDER DELAYING OPERATIONS. WYZ009-011-150200- BIGHORN MOUNTAINS SOUTHEAST-SOUTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY- 107 PM MDT SAT MAR 14 2015 WINDY CONDITIONS EXPECTED INTO THIS EVENING. SOUTHWEST WINDS WITH GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 MPH...WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHERN JOHNSON COUNTY AND THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS. HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRAILERS SHOULD TAKE CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING. IN ADDITION...WARMING TEMPERATURES AND LOWER HUMIDITIES WHEN COMBINED WITH STRONG WINDS...WILL CREATE ELEVATED FIRE DANGER TODAY. THOSE PLANNING ON BURNING SHOULD KEEP UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST FORECAST AND CONDITIONS...OR CONSIDER DELAYING OPERATIONS. JB/ANGLIN/C.BAKER
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A peak wind gust to 81 mph was clocked west of Clark at 1619MST.
A sensor on Chief Joseph Pass registered a few wind gusts to 77 mph and there were extended periods of sustained winds over 50 mph.
Sustained wind of 50 to 55 mph was measured by a sensor on Chief Joseph Pass.
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, March 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: 556481, 556482, 556483.