Strong post-frontal west to northwest wind blew in the North Fork Valley west of Cody. An automated sensor near Buffalo Bill Reservoir registered a peak gust of 58 mph Sunday evening, February 28.
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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.
Strong post-frontal west to northwest wind blew in the North Fork Valley west of Cody. An automated sensor near Buffalo Bill Reservoir registered a peak gust of 58 mph Sunday evening, February 28.
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 28, 1:59 PM MST, 6 hours 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 159 PM MST SUN FEB 28 2016 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY AS A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER EASTERN IDAHO MOVES EAST THROUGH THE NIGHT...WEST WINDS WILL SPREAD FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE ALONG AND EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WITH HIGH WINDS POSSIBLE IN THE CODY FOOTHILLS. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM MST IN THE CODY FOOTHILLS. PACIFIC MOISTURE IN THE WEST FLOW WILL SPREAD LOW CLOUDS AND SNOW ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. THROUGH THE MORNING RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL SPREAD INTO THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS. THE LOWER ELEVATIONS MAY SEE SCATTERED TO ISOLATED RAIN SHOWERS WITH GUSTY WINDS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. CLOUD COVER...PRECIPITATION AND WIND WILL MODERATE TEMPERATURES ELEVATING LOWS TONIGHT AND RAISING HIGHS ON MONDAY EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. .LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY HIGH PRESSURE WORKS TO RETURN TO THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT...AND WILL HELP TO WEAKEN SHOWER COVERAGE OVER THE AREA. A BRIEF PERIOD OF DRYING IS ANTICIPATED TUESDAY MORNING...AHEAD OF THE NEXT APPROACHING WAVE. THIS WAVE WILL RETURN PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS TUESDAY EVENING WITH COVERAGE INCREASING THROUGH WEDNESDAY. AREAS EAST OF THE DIVIDE...ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHEASTERN WYOMING MAY SEE SOME SHOWER ACTIVITY BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST WEDNESDAY EVENING...AND WILL HELP TO BRING A RETURN OF DRY CONDITIONS BY LATE WEDNESDAY EVENING. DRY CONDITIONS WILL BE FOUND THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON. MODELS INDICATE THE PRESENCE OF WEAK MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH A DISTURBANCE IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW WILL BE FOUND OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS BY THURSDAY EVENING. MODELS CONTINUE TO SLOW DOWN THE ARRIVAL OF THE MOISTURE...LEAVING MORE LIKELIHOOD FOR PRECIPITATION TO BE FOUND BY LATE THURSDAY NIGHT. TIMING ALTERATIONS MAY OCCUR AS THE MODELS COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE HANDLING OF THIS TROUGH. THIS SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH QUICKLY WITH A RETURN OF A FLATTENED RIDGE BY FRIDAY EVENING. OVERALL...MODELS BEGIN TO DIVERGE MORE SIGNIFICANTLY BY SUNDAY MORNING. THIS IMPACTS THE PLACEMENT OF THE AXIS OF THE RIDGE...WHICH INFLUENCES THE EXPECTED PRECIPITATION COVERAGE. THE ECMWF IS THE MORE AGGRESSIVE SOLUTION WITH THE RIDGE AXIS MOVING THROUGH THE STATE BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THIS WOULD ALLOW FOR AN EARLIER ARRIVAL FOR THE SOUTHWEST FLOW AND SHOWER ACTIVITY ACROSS WESTERN WYOMING. MEANWHILE...THE GFS KEEPS A MORE AMPLIFIED RIDGE OVER THE AREA THROUGH EARLY MONDAY...WITH GENERALLY DRY CONDITIONS. && .AVIATION.../00Z ISSUANCE/ WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...KJAC/KRKS/KPNA/KBPI AS A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE IN EASTERN IDAHO MOVES EAST TONIGHT... WEST WINDS WILL INCREASE...ESPECIALLY OVER THE PASSES AND UPPER RIDGES WITH AREAS OF LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR. PACIFIC MOISTURE WILL INCREASE IN THE FLOW WITH INCREASING MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS ABOVE 8000 FEET AS AREAS OF SNOW SHOWERS INCREASE AS VISIBILITY DECREASES AND MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS SPREAD. FROM 09Z TO 12Z CHANCES FOR MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS WILL INCREASE AT KJAC AND KAFO...SPREADING OVER KBPI AND KPNA FROM 12Z TO 15Z. EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...KCPR/KCOD/KRIW/KWRL/KLND VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT THE AIRPORTS THROUGH THE PERIOD. AS A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE IN EASTERN IDAHO MOVES EAST TONIGHT... WEST WINDS WILL INCREASE...ESPECIALLY OVER AND NEAR THE EAST SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...WITH AREAS OF LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR INCREASING. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN THE LEE OF THE ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS VICINITY KCOD. PACIFIC MOISTURE WILL INCREASE IN THE FLOW WITH INCREASING MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS ABOVE 8500 FEET EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AS AREAS OF SNOW SHOWERS INCREASE AS VISIBILITY DECREASES AND MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS SPREAD FROM 09Z TO 15Z. VFR CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS AFTER 18Z MAY PRODUCE LOCAL MVFR CONDITIONS WITH STRONG WIND GUSTS VICINITY SHOWERS. && .FIRE WEATHER... AS A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER EASTERN IDAHO MOVES EAST THROUGH THE NIGHT...WEST WINDS WILL SPREAD FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE ALONG AND EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WITH HIGH WINDS POSSIBLE IN THE CODY FOOTHILLS. PACIFIC MOISTURE IN THE WEST FLOW WILL SPREAD LOW CLOUDS AND SNOW ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. THROUGH THE MORNING RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL SPREAD INTO THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS. THE LOWER ELEVATIONS MAY SEE SCATTERED TO ISOLATED RAIN SHOWERS WITH GUSTY WINDS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. CLOUD COVER...PRECIPITATION AND WIND WILL MODERATE TEMPERATURES ELEVATING LOWS TONIGHT AND RAISING HIGHS ON MONDAY EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. OVERALL RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL BE FAVORABLE TO HIGH...ESPECIALLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS. MIXING HEIGHTS WILL BE LOW IN THE WEST AND INCREASE IN THE LEE OF THE MOUNTAINS WHERE DEEPER MIXING WILL PRODUCE FAIR TO GOOD SMOKE DISPERSAL IN THE AFTERNOON. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 5 AM MST MONDAY FOR WYZ003. && SHORT TERM...C.BAKER LONG TERM...BRANHAM AVIATION...C.BAKER FIRE WEATHER...C.BAKER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 312 AM MST SUN FEB 28 2016 WYZ001>020-022>030-291200- 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- 312 AM MST SUN FEB 28 2016 ...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE CODY FOOTHILLS LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT TONIGHT...STRONG WINDS POSSIBLE IN THE CODY FOOTHILLS. PLEASE SEE HIGH WIND WARNING PRODUCT FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION. A CHANCE OF MOUNTAIN SNOW WEST LATE TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...A CHANCE OF MOUNTAIN SNOW. A CHANCE OF RAIN OR SNOW AT THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...A CHANCE OF MOUNTAIN SNOW. A CHANCE OF RAIN OR SNOW AT THE LOWER ELEVATIONS ON WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT WIND GUSTS GREATER THAN 50 MPH AND SNOWFALL. THANK YOU.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A 58 mph wind gust was measured at the Buffalo Bill Reservoir.
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: 613763.