A strong cold front swept south across Wyoming during the afternoon of Saturday, February 13. Ahead of this front, strong mid-level winds worked their way to the surface in the lee of the Absaroka Range west of Clark.
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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.
A strong cold front swept south across Wyoming during the afternoon of Saturday, February 13. Ahead of this front, strong mid-level winds worked their way to the surface in the lee of the Absaroka Range west of Clark. This produced a pre-dawn 81 mph gust near Clark. The combination of the mid-level winds and a tightening surface pressure gradient ahead of the front brought high winds to portions of central and northern Wyoming. Peak gusts generally occurred with the abrupt wind shift to the northwest and favored areas prone to northwest wind. The airports at Buffalo and Dubois both registered 70 mph gusts and several other locations recorded peak gusts around 60 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 Feb 13, 2:52 AM MST, 2 hours 43 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 252 AM MST SAT FEB 13 2016 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT AN APPROACHING WAVE AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA THIS MORNING...AND MOVE THROUGH THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ADDITIONAL MOISTURE WILL BE FOUND WITHIN THIS SYSTEM TO PRODUCE SNOWFALL OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AND INTO THE VALLEYS THROUGH THE DAY. AS THE WAVE MOVES THROUGH THE AREA...IT IS ANTICIPATED TO BRING SOME PRECIPITATION ACROSS AREAS EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...BUT TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA WILL HELP TO KEEP THE LOWER ELEVATIONS PRECIPITATION AS RAIN DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. AS TEMPERATURES LOWER...CONVERSION TO SNOWFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE. OTHER THAN PRECIPITATION...THE FRONT WILL RESULT IN GUSTY WIND ACROSS THE AREA. THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND BASINS LOOK TO EXPERIENCE THE STRONGEST WINDS OUT OF THIS APPROACHING SYSTEM. AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA THIS EVENING IT WILL HELP WIND TO RELAX. MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ALONG THE NORTHWEST FLOW TO KEEP SNOWFALL OVER THE NORTHWESTERN MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. MOISTURE HAS A DECENT PUSH SUNDAY AND INTO MONDAY...WITH SOME INCREASED ACCUMULATION ANTICIPATED ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. BY MONDAY MORNING NEW SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES WILL BE WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS...WITH 6 TO 7 INCHES POSSIBLE OVER THE TETON AND GROS VENTRE RANGES. THE WESTERN VALLEYS WILL SEE POSSIBLE NEW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES. THIS MOISTURE PUSH WILL BE EVALUATED WITH UPCOMING MODEL SOLUTIONS TO SEE IF ANY WINTER RELATED HIGHLIGHTS WILL BE NECESSARY. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY RIDGE AXIS TO THE WEST GRADUALLY SHIFTS EWD TUE INTO WED. BY 00Z...THU BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS HAVE THE AXIS CENTERED RIGHT OVER CENTRAL WYO ALONG WITH THE H7 THERMAL RIDGE. TEMPS WILL CONTINUE TO WARM TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. WEATHER BEGINS TO CHANGE THURSDAY AS SYSTEM APPROACHING THE KAMCHATKA AREA RIGHT NOW MOVES ACROSS THE PACIFIC AND INTO WESTERN WYOMING EARLY THURSDAY AND THEN MOVING EAST ACROSS THE REST OF THE AREA LATER THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. SYSTEM IS STILL MOVING THROUGH THE MEAN RIDGE SO IT MAY WEAKEN/OR SPLIT MORE THAN SHOWN BUT STILL PRODUCE SNOW FOR THE WEST ESPECIALLY AND WIND FOR THE MTNS AND CENTRAL WYOMING. KEEPING THE IDEA OF INCREASING WINDS WED NGT...PEAKING ON THURSDAY WITH POTENTIAL FOR HIGH WINDS IN CENTRAL WYOMING DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH WEAKENING OCCURS WITH THIS SYSTEM AS IT HITS THE RIDGE. TEMPS EACH OF THE DIVIDE COULD BE TRICKY THURSDAY DEPENDING ON THE TIMING OF THIS TROUGH. COULD STILL BE QUITE WARM...ESPECIALLY ERN HALF. SYSTEM EXITS QUICKLY WITH HEIGHTS REBUILDING FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY WITH VALLEY/BASIN INVERSIONS REDEVELOPING. NOT AS STRONG AS PAST WEEKS...ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE DIVIDE WITH MOST OF THE SNOW GONE BY THEN AFTER ANOTHER WEEK OF WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS. MODELS DIVERGE ON A SYSTEM RIGHT AT THE END OF THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD WITH THE GFS KEEPING MOST OF THE ENERGY SOUTH AND THE ECMWF SHOWING A SYSTEM RACING ACROSS MONTANA ON SATURDAY. STRENGTH OF LONGWAVE RIDGE AND ITS PROXIMITY WILL LIKELY KEEP THIS SYSTEM FROM HAVING A HUGE IMPACT ON OUR AREA SO WE ONLY HAVE SLGT CHANCES IN THE WRN MTNS. TEMPS IN THE MIXED AREAS WILL COOL A LITTLE WITH THIS SYSTEM WHILE THE BASINS/VALLEYS MAY NOT SEE A BIG CHANGE AS THEY MIX OUT MORE BUT ALSO HAVE LIMITED WARMING POTENTIAL WITH COOLER AIR ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROUGH. OVERALL...ONE MAIN SHOT OF SNOW OUT WEST THURSDAY WITH MOST AREAS CONTINUING TO SEE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH WEDNESDAY BEING THE PEAK WHEN 50S AND EVEN A FEW 60S ARE POSSIBLE EAST OF THE DIVIDE WITH MAINLY UPPER 30S TO NEAR 50 WEST. AS NOTED LAST NIGHT...H7 TEMPS ARE FORECAST TO BE IN THE +3 TO +4 AT H7 IN CENTRAL WYO WED AFTN...SIMILAR TO WHAT WE SAW FRIDAY BUT WITH LESS SNOW COVER. && .AVIATION.../12Z ISSUANCE/ WEST OF THE DIVIDE...KJAC/KRKS/KPNA/KBPI ROUTES FOG WILL NOT BE AS EXTENSIVE AS THE LAST FEW NIGHTS...BUT PATCHY FOG MAY PARTIALLY OBSCURE TERRAIN IN THE WESTERN VALLEYS THROUGH 15Z SAT. A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH ACROSS THE AREA 16Z-20Z BRINGING NMRS MTN SHSN AND FQT MTN OBSCURATIONS VCNTY AND NORTH OF A KJAC-KDUB LINE WITH MAINLY SCT MVFR SHSN OVER THE WESTERN VALLEYS AND FURTHER SOUTH ALONG THE DIVIDE. AREAS OF LLWS WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THE COLD FRONT VCNTY KJAC WHERE SFC WINDS WILL REMAIN SW WHILE W-NW SFC WINDS INCREASE TO 20-30KTS AT OTHER TERMINALS. AN INCREASINGLY MOIST NW FLOW WILL BRING WIDESPREAD MVFR/IFR -SN INTO FAR WEST...VCNTY KJAC-KAFO 06Z-12Z SUNDAY WITH MTNS ALONG AND WEST OF THE DIVIDE BECOMING MOSTLY OBSCURED. EAST OF THE DIVIDE...KCPR/KCOD/KRIW/KWRL/KLND ROUTES VFR CONDITIONS WITH MAINLY SOME SCT-BKN MID AND HIGH CLOUDS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH ACROSS THE AREA 19Z-22Z SATURDAY BRINGING SCT-NMRS MVFR/IFR SHSN VCNTY AND NORTH OF A KBYG-KPOY LINE ALONG WITH THE BIGHORN AND ABSAROKA RANGES BECOMING MOSTLY OBSCURED. AREAS OF SFC NW WINDS AT 20-30KTS WITH GUSTS NEAR 40KTS WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS EXPECTED VCNTY KDUB-KRIW AND KSHR-KBYG THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY EVENING. WINDS WILL DIMINISH AFTER 02Z SUNDAY ALONG WITH SHSN ENDING ACROSS NORTHERN WYOMING. INCREASING MOISTURE IN WESTERLY FLOW WILL RESULT IN THE HIGHER PEAKS OF THE WIND RIVER AND ABSAROKA RANGE BECOMING MOSTLY OBSCURED AFTER 06Z SUNDAY. && .FIRE WEATHER... PERIODS SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA TODAY...WITH WIND SHIFTS ANTICIPATED AS WELL AS PERIODS OF GUSTY TO BREEZY WIND. SUNDAY AND INTO MONDAY LOOKS TO PRODUCE THE MOST ACCUMULATION...WITH SOME ACTIVITY ANTICIPATED TO MOVE EAST OF THE DIVIDE...MAINLY ACROSS NORTHERN WYOMING. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WILL KEEP ACTIVITY AS RAIN THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING...WITH CONVERSION TO SNOWFALL POSSIBLE WITH DROPPING OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES. LIGHT SNOWFALL WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY....MAINLY OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...BRANHAM LONG TERM...PS AVIATION...AEM FIRE WEATHER...BRANHAM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 254 AM MST SAT FEB 13 2016 WYZ001>020-022>030-141400- YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK-ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS-CODY FOOTHILLS- NORTH BIG HORN BASIN-SOUTHWEST BIG HORN BASIN- SOUTHEAST BIG HORN BASIN-OWL CREEK AND BRIDGER MOUNTAINS- BIGHORN MOUNTAINS WEST-BIGHORN MOUNTAINS SOUTHEAST- NORTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY-SOUTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY- TETON AND GROS VENTRE MOUNTAINS-JACKSON HOLE- WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS WEST-WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS EAST- UPPER WIND RIVER BASIN-WIND RIVER BASIN-LANDER FOOTHILLS- GREEN MOUNTAINS AND RATTLESNAKE RANGE- NATRONA COUNTY LOWER ELEVATIONS-CASPER MOUNTAIN-STAR VALLEY- SALT RIVER AND WYOMING RANGES-UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN FOOTHILLS- UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN-SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY- ROCK SPRINGS AND GREEN RIVER-FLAMING GORGE-EAST SWEETWATER COUNTY- 254 AM MST SAT FEB 13 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT PATCHY FOG WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING...MAINLY ACROSS WESTERN WYOMING. OTHERWISE...A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE AREA WILL BRING SOME LIGHT SNOWFALL OVER WESTERN WYOMING AND GUSTY WIND ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN WYOMING WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 45 MPH POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MEANWHILE...SNOWFALL MAY IMPACT TRAVEL OVER MOUNTAIN PASSES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SUNDAY AND MONDAY...PERIODS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL WILL BE FOUND OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS. NOTABLE SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION IS ANTICIPATED...WHICH MAY IMPACT TRAVEL ACROSS WESTERN WYOMING. THURSDAY...A GOOD CHANCE OF SNOW IN WESTERN WYOMING WITH STRONG WINDS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND MUCH OF CENTRAL WYOMING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT WIND GUSTS STRONGER THAN 40 MPH AND ANY SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. THANK YOU. TEAM RIVERTON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 425 AM MST SAT FEB 13 2016 WYZ003-131800- CODY FOOTHILLS- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CODY...MEETEETSE 425 AM MST SAT FEB 13 2016 A STRONG WEST WIND WILL BLOW AT TIMES THROUGH THIS MORNING ACROSS THE CODY FOOTHILLS. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE BETWEEN CODY AND CLARK WHERE WEST WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE AT THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. TRAVELLERS ON HIGHWAY 120 BETWEEN CODY AND CLARK SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THESE STRONG CROSSWINDS. THE WINDS WILL DIMINISH THIS AFTERNOON AS A COLD FRONT DROPS SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA. SKRBAC
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The wind sensor 5 miles west-northwest of Clark reported a wind gust of 81 mph.
A 58 mph gust was measured at the Cowley airport.
Several locations across northern Johnson County reported wind gusts over 58 mph. The strongest was at Buffalo where the wind gusted to 70 mph.
The wind sensor at the Dubois airport reported wind gusts as high as 70 mph. An anemometer at Crowheart gusted to 59 mph.
The weather sensor north of Meeteetse reported a peak wind gust of 62 mph with passage of a cold front.
A peak gust to 58 mph was recorded along Wyoming Boulevard ahead of the passage of a cold front.
The wind gusted as high as 62 mph at the Camp Creek RAWS site.
A spotter about 6 miles south of Worland reported shingles being blown off his roof and that his power was out.
The wind sensor along the North Fork of the Popo Agie River reported wind gusts to 60 mph.
The I-25 Divide wind sensor near Reno Hill north of Kaycee registered a peak gust of 62 mph with passage of a cold front.
The WYDOT sensor at Twenty Mile Hill recorded a wind gust to 58 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, February 2016
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: 614430, 611981, 611976, 611977, 611975, 614436, 611979, 614435, 611978, 614434, 611980.