A 30-year-old male was killed when a cornice he snowshoed unto broke loose in an out-of-bounds area near Grand Targhee Resort. He fell onto a cliff below, triggering a two-foot-deep avalanche that carried him over the cliff.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
A 30-year-old male was killed when a cornice he snowshoed unto broke loose in an out-of-bounds area near Grand Targhee Resort. He fell onto a cliff below, triggering a two-foot-deep avalanche that carried him over the cliff. The man died of trauma.
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 21, 1:59 PM MST, 2 hours 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 159 PM MST SUN FEB 21 2016 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY IMAGERY SHOWS RIDGING ACROSS THE WRN CONUS...FLAT TROFFING ACROSS THE EAST. WY UNDER NW FLOW ALOFT W/ MOSTLY DRY AND INSIGNIFICANT SW PASSING OVR THE STATE WITH SOME MID/UPR LVL CLOUD PRODUCTION. UPSTREAM OVR WA/OR RELATIVELY STRONG SW TROF ENTERING THE NW CONUS...DUE TO ARRIVE HERE MONDAY. SFC HAS WEAK HIGH P FIELD OVR WY AND THE NW...WITH LOWERING P TO THE E/SE INTO THE ERN PLAINS AND MID WEST AND A WEAK BACK DOOR COLD FRONT DRAPED ACROSS SD...EXTREME NE WY AND INTO CNTRL MT. TONIGHT...STATIC RIDGING AND NW FLOW CONTINUES TONIGHT ACROSS THE WEST AWAITING THE ARRIVAL OF THE NWRN CONUS SW TROF DURING THE EARLY MORNING HRS OF MONDAY...FLATTENING THE UPR LVL FLOW SOME. DURING THE DAY MONDAY...LEE SIDE CYCLOGENESIS WILL BE EXPECTED ADJACENT TO THE SRN ROCKIES AND INTO THE HIGH PLAINS OF NM AND SERN CO...WITH WEAK LEE SIDE TROFFING SHOWING UP OVR THE BIGHORN BASIN AND PERHAPS THE WIND RIVER BASIN...WHILE INVERTED TROFFING SHOWS UP ACROSS THE WRN CNTRL...HIGH...AND WRN NRN PLAINS. BY MONDAY AFTERNOON...FRONTOGENESIS WILL THEN TAKE PLACE ACROSS PORTIONS OF WYOMING...WITH STRONGEST BL FORCING ACROSS/INTO SRN WY AND NRN/NERN FLOW EXPANDING OVER THE ENTIRE STATE BY MONDAY EVENING. THE FA AS A WHOLE WILL BE MILDLY CONVECTIVE ONCE AGAIN...WITH SHOWERS OR STRATIFORM PRECIP WITH EMBEDDED SHOWERS PREVALENT. ISOLATED THUNDER IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION EITHER...ALTHOUGH ON A VERY ISOLATED BASIS AS IT LOOKS NOW. THE BEST UPR COLD POOL WHERE BETTER INSTABILITY WILL RESIDE WILL ACTUALLY BE LOCATED ACROSS THE NRN/NWRN MOUNTAINS INTO THE CODY FOOTHILLS TO THE EAST...LESSER INSTABILITY ACROSS SRN WY WHERE BETTER LL FORCING WILL BE PRESENT WITH A FRONT/BOUNDARY. SO...NOT TOO THRILLED ABOUT THE THUNDER PROSPECTS...ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR A BRIEF PERIOD. WHAT THIS MEANS IN THE END IS LARGELY TERRAIN FORCED PRECIP/SNOW EARLY ACROSS WRN WY...SPREADING SOUTH AND EAST ACROSS SWEETWATER COUNTY BY LATE MORNING/EARLY AFTERNOON...WITH FRONTAL/POST FRONTAL UPSLOPE KICKING OFF VARIOUS FORMS OF LIQUID AND FROZEN PRECIP EAST OF THE DIVIDE MONDAY AFTERNOON. HEAVIEST PRECIP BY LATE AFTERNOON SHOULD BE WITNESSED OVR/NEAR JUNCTIONS OF BEST FRONTAL UPSLOPE FORCING...SUCH AS THE SRN ABSAROKAS/OWL CREEK MOUNTAINS...ERN WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS...AND OVER/ALONG/NEAR THE BEST LL FRONTAL FORCING OVR ERN SWEETWATER COUNTY. ATTM...THIS ALL LOOKS TO BE SUB ADVISORY...BUT BEARS WATCHING. WILL SPS THESE AREAS IN THE MEANTIME. .LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSES EAST ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING...IT WILL SEND A COLD FRONT SOUTH FROM MONTANA WITH SOME LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS DEVELOPING IN THE NORTH AND EAST BY EARLY AFTERNOON. MUCH OF THE AREA CAN EXPECT AT LEAST SCATTERED RAIN OR SNOW SHOWERS WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS MAINLY OVER AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS MONDAY EVENING WITH MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS EAST IN NATRONA COUNTY AROUND CASPER AND CASPER MOUNTAIN AND FREMONT COUNTY ALONG AND NEAR THE EAST SLOPES OF THE WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS AND ACROSS EASTERN SWEETWATER COUNTY. TEMPERATURES WILL COOL BEHIND THE FRONT. SNOW SHOWERS WILL LINGER THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT. THIS TROUGH AND COLD FRONT DOES NOT LOOK TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT ALOFT AND IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH QUICKLY WITH DRYING AND CLEARING BY TUESDAY MORNING. SOME MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS WILL LINGER THROUGH THE DAY TUESDAY WITH LITTLE IF ANY SHOWERS REACHING THE LOWER ELEVATIONS AS THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN U.S. AGAIN BUILDS BRINGING DRY BUT COOL CONDITIONS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. THE DRY CONDITIONS SHOULD CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY MORNING BEFORE WARMING AND BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS RETURN. SOME UPPER AND MID LEVEL MOISTURE MOVES SOUTH DOWN THE EAST SIDE OF THE RIDGE...SPREADING SOUTH AND EAST FROM MONTANA INTO NORTHERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING ON THURSDAY. AS ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE TROUGH DEEPENS ALONG THE WEST COAST...THE WEST NORTHWEST FLOW WITH THE UPPER AND MID LEVEL MOISTURE WILL MOVE EAST INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS WITH DRYING ON FRIDAY. FRIDAY HAS POTENTIAL TO BECOME QUITE WINDY AS THE FLOW CHANGES FROM NORTHWEST TO WEST. LIMITED MOISTURE WILL INCREASE CLOUDS IN THE WEST AND THERE MAY BE SOME SHOWERS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS BUT THIS MAY HOLD OFF UNTIL SUNDAY BEFORE PRECIPITATION OCCURS. SATURDAY NIGHT SHOWERS AND CLOUDS WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS...THIS WILL CONTINUE SUNDAY WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING THROUGH THE DAY. THE VALLEYS SHOULD SEE SOME RAIN AND AREAS WILL CHANGE TO SNOW LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL INCREASE ALONG AND NEAR THE EAST SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS AND VERY WINDY CONDITIONS COULD DEVELOP IN PARK...FREMONT AND NATRONA COUNTIES. && .AVIATION.../00Z ISSUANCE/ WEST OF THE DIVIDE...KJAC/KRKS/KPNA/KBPI ROUTES VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL OVER THE REGION THROUGH 04Z. AFTER 04Z...CLOUDS WILL BUILD AND SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS WITH SOME MVFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED BY 09Z ALONG WITH MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION. THE KJAC TERMINAL COULD SEE MVFR CONDITIONS AS EARLY AS 06Z WITH -SHSN ARRIVING BY 12Z. THE OTHER TERMINALS WILL SEE MVFR CONDITIONS A BIT LATER...GENERALLY DEVELOPING BETWEEN 12Z AND 16Z. IMPROVING CONDITIONS WILL WILL BE FOUND ACROSS THE WEST BETWEEN 18Z AND 20Z...WITH MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION HANGING ON LONGER. KRKS WILL LIKELY REMAIN MVFR THROUGH THE ENTIRE AFTERNOON BEFORE IMPROVING INT HE EVENING. EAST OF THE DIVIDE...KCPR/KCOD/KRIW/KWRL/KLND ROUTES VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL THROUGH 14Z-16Z MONDAY WHEN CLOUDS WILL BUILD IN AND CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE SLOWLY TO MVFR THROUGH THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON. VCSH WILL ARRIVE AT KCOD BY 1600...THE OTHER TERMINALS AFTER 18Z...PERSISTING THROUGH THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. && .FIRE WEATHER... FIRE DANGER LOW ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH AT LEAST MIDWEEK... WITH SEASONAL OR OR BELOW TEMPERATURES. RELATIVELY CALM WIND TODAY WILL GIVE WAY TO GUSTY WINDS MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT AS A NEW WINTER WEATHER STORM PUSHES THROUGH THE REGION. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS AND VERY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD FROM WEST TO EAST MONDAY...WITH HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION EXPECTED IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AND ACROSS SWEETWATER COUNTY. OTHERWISE...MOST LATE MORNINGS AND AFTERNOONS ACROSS WYOMING SHOULD SEE AT LEAST FAIR/GOOD SMOKE DISPERSION...VERY GOOD TO EXCELLENT ON MONDAY. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...BRAUN LONG TERM...C.BAKER AVIATION...BRAUN FIRE WEATHER...BRAUN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 155 AM MST SUN FEB 21 2016 WYZ001>020-022>030-220900- 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- 155 AM MST SUN FEB 21 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. LIGHT SNOW IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY MONDAY...NUMEROUS SNOW SHOWERS DEVELOPING IN THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN MOUNTAINS MONDAY MORNING WITH SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS MOST VALLEYS AND BASINS IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MORE ORGANIZED SNOW BANDING COULD BRING HEAVIER AMOUNTS OF SNOW INTO CENTRAL WYOMING MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...ESPECIALLY IN THE CASPER AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. TEAM RIVERTON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 147 PM MST SUN FEB 21 2016 WYZ001-002-012>015-023-024-221000- YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK-ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS- TETON AND GROS VENTRE MOUNTAINS-JACKSON HOLE- WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS WEST-WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS EAST-STAR VALLEY- SALT RIVER AND WYOMING RANGES- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LAKE...MAMMOTH...OLD FAITHFUL... JACKSON...AFTON...ALPINE...STAR VALLEY RANCH...THAYNE 147 PM MST SUN FEB 21 2016 A NEW WINTER WEATHER SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE ACROSS WESTERN WYOMING LATER TONIGHT WITH SNOW BEGINNING OVER THE MOUNTAINS BY AROUND 2 AM. EXCEPT FOR SOME LINGERING LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS MONDAY NIGHT...MOST OF THE SNOWFALL HAVE TAPERED OFF IN THE AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATION WILL GENERALLY RUN FROM 2 TO 5 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FROM A HALF AN INCH TO 2 INCHES ACROSS THE VALLEY FLOORS. WINDS WILL INCREASE MONDAY AFTERNOON OUT OF THE WEST TO 15 TO 25 MPH WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS POSSIBLE. WYZ019-025>030-221000- GREEN MOUNTAINS AND RATTLESNAKE RANGE- UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN FOOTHILLS-UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN- SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-ROCK SPRINGS AND GREEN RIVER-FLAMING GORGE- EAST SWEETWATER COUNTY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...JEFFREY CITY...PINEDALE...LA BARGE... BIG PINEY...FARSON...KEMMERER...COKEVILLE...ROCK SPRINGS... GREEN RIVER...WAMSUTTER 147 PM MST SUN FEB 21 2016 A NEW WINTER WEATHER SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE ACROSS WESTERN WYOMING LATER TONIGHT WITH SNOW BEGINNING ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY AND THE UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN BY SUN UP MONDAY. A FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION LATER MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...HELPING TO FOCUS PRECIPITATION...BOTH LIQUID AND FROZEN...ACROSS SOUTHERN WYOMING. HEAVIEST SNOWFALL WILL COME IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS PORTIONS OF EASTERN SWEETWATER AND SOUTHERN FREMONT COUNTIES. SNOW ACCUMULATION THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT WILL GENERALLY RUN FROM 2 TO 5 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FROM ONE TO THREE INCHES ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. WINDS WILL INCREASE MONDAY AFTERNOON OUT OF THE WEST TO NORTHWEST AT 15 TO 25 MPH WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS POSSIBLE. WYZ007-016>018-020-022-221000- OWL CREEK AND BRIDGER MOUNTAINS-UPPER WIND RIVER BASIN- WIND RIVER BASIN-LANDER FOOTHILLS-NATRONA COUNTY LOWER ELEVATIONS- CASPER MOUNTAIN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...DUBOIS...RIVERTON...SHOSHONI...LANDER... CASPER 147 PM MST SUN FEB 21 2016 A NEW WINTER WEATHER SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE ACROSS WESTERN WYOMING LATER TONIGHT WITH SNOW BEGINNING ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL WYOMING BY MONDAY AFTERNOON AS A FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. THIS WILL HELP TO FOCUS PRECIPITATION...BOTH LIQUID AND FROZEN...THROUGH THE EVENING PERIOD. HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE IN THE EVENING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WIND RIVER BASIN...SPREADING EASTWARD INTO NATRONA COUNTY BY MID TO LATE EVENING. SNOW ACCUMULATION THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING WILL GENERALLY RUN FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FROM ONE TO THREE INCHES ACROSS THE BASINS AND FOOTHILLS. WINDS WILL INCREASE MONDAY AFTERNOON OUT OF THE NORTH TO NORTHWEST AT 15 TO 25 MPH WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS POSSIBLE. WYZ003-005-221000- CODY FOOTHILLS-SOUTHWEST BIG HORN BASIN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CODY...MEETEETSE...THERMOPOLIS 147 PM MST SUN FEB 21 2016 A NEW WINTER WEATHER SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE ACROSS WESTERN WYOMING LATER TONIGHT WITH SNOW BEGINNING ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING BY MONDAY AFTERNOON AS A FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. THIS WILL HELP TO FOCUS PRECIPITATION...BOTH LIQUID AND FROZEN...INTO THE EVENING PERIOD. HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE IN THE AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS...TAPERING OFF BY MID EVENING. SNOW ACCUMULATION THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT WILL GENERALLY RUN FROM A TRACE TO 2 INCHES. WINDS WILL INCREASE MONDAY AFTERNOON OUT OF THE NORTH TO NORTHWEST AT 15 TO 25 MPH WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS POSSIBLE. WYZ008>011-221000- BIGHORN MOUNTAINS WEST-BIGHORN MOUNTAINS SOUTHEAST- NORTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY-SOUTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BUFFALO...KAYCEE 147 PM MST SUN FEB 21 2016 A NEW WINTER WEATHER SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE ACROSS WESTERN WYOMING LATER TONIGHT WITH SNOW BEGINNING ACROSS THE BIG HORN MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN WYOMING BY MONDAY AFTERNOON...THEN INTO THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF JOHNSON COUNTY...PARTICULARLY SOUTHERN JOHNSON COUNTY...BY LATE AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING AS A FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. THIS WILL HELP TO FOCUS PRECIPITATION...BOTH LIQUID AND FROZEN...INTO THE EVENING PERIOD. HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE IN THE MID AFTERNOON PERIOD ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...EARLY EVENING IN SOUTHERN JOHNSON COUNTY...TAPERING OFF BY MIDNIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATION THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING WILL GENERALLY RUN FROM ONE TO 4 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS...WITH A TRACE TO AN INCH ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. WINDS WILL INCREASE MONDAY AFTERNOON OUT OF THE NORTH TO NORTHWEST AT 15 TO 25 MPH WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS POSSIBLE.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.
A skier went out of bounds at Grand Targhee ski resort and triggered an avalanche that carried him over a cliff and caused his death.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche, Teton & Gros Ventre Mountains | 2016-02-21 | 30 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
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: 612511.