An area of thunderstorms moved east off the Wind River Mountains into an environment favorable for gusty outflow wind. The difference between the temperature and dew point at the Lander Airport was about 55F degrees just prior to the storms moving out across the Wind River Basin.
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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 area of thunderstorms moved east off the Wind River Mountains into an environment favorable for gusty outflow wind. The difference between the temperature and dew point at the Lander Airport was about 55F degrees just prior to the storms moving out across the Wind River Basin. Peak wind gusts at the base of the foothills in Lander topped 60 mph for over one-half hour. The maximum wind gust of 71 mph occurred at 1602MST.
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 Jul 22, 1:34 PM MST, 1 hour 51 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Riverton WY 234 PM MDT FRI JUL 22 2016 .SHORT TERM...Tonight Through Saturday A red flag warning is in effect until 9 pm mdt for zones 414 415 416 283 285 and 288 for low relative humidity strong wind gusts with a cold frontal passage and widely scattered thunderstorms with wind gusts to 50 mph. A rather strong pacific low pressure trough for mid summer will pass through western and central wyoming this evening. Ahead of the trough scattered showers with embedded thunderstorms will move through the area. Strong wind gusts to 50 mph will be possible with the thunderstorms. A surface cold front will move through with the upper level trough with a wind shift to the west northwest with clearing. strong wind gusts for a few hours behind the cold front should be expected. Cooler dry air will move in later tonight and Saturday. .LONG TERM...Saturday night Through Friday Cooler dry air is expected over the area Saturday night. Gradual warming will occur starting Sunday continuing through Monday. Some showers and thunderstorms...mainly over the mountains will return late Monday and Monday night. another cold front will come south on tuesday with cooling through mid week. Another cold front continues the trend on Thursday with a better chance of showers and thunderstorms in the north and east. The cold air will be entrenched up to the continental divide through Friday with mainly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. && .AVIATION.../00Z ISSUANCE/ VFR conditions will prevail most of the time. A cold front will move across the state through 06z. A wind shift from southwest to west and northwest will occur with frontal passage. Isolated showers and storms will occur through around 06z. Wind gusts to 40 knots will be common with storms. Mainly VFR conditions will prevail after 06Z tonight through 00z Sunday except in areas in the vicinity of wildfires where areas of smoke may reduce visibility. && .FIRE WEATHER... A red flag warning is in effect until 9 pm mdt for zones 414 415 416 283 285 and 288 for low relative humidity strong wind gusts with a cold frontal passage and widely scattered thunderstorms with wind gusts to 50 mph. A rather strong pacific low pressure trough for mid summer will pass through western and central wyoming this evening. Ahead of the trough scattered showers with embedded thunderstorms will move through the area. Strong wind gusts to 50 mph will be possible with the thunderstorms. A surface cold front will move through with the upper level trough with a wind shift to the west northwest with clearing. strong wind gusts for a few hours behind the cold front should be expected. Cooler dry air will move in later tonight and Saturday with colder temperatures through the weekend. && .RIW Watches/Warnings/Advisories... Red Flag Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for WYZ283-285-288- 414>416. && SHORT TERM...C.Baker LONG TERM...C.Baker AVIATION...Hattings FIRE WEATHER...C.Baker
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 309 AM MDT FRI JUL 22 2016 WYZ001>020-022>030-230915- 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- 309 AM MDT FRI JUL 22 2016 ...RED FLAG WARNING FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED LATE DAY MOSTLY DRY THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH GUSTS 35 TO 55 MPH. OTHERWISE...ELEVATED TO EXTREME FIRE DANGER DUE TO BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS...HOT TEMPERATURES...AND VERY LOW RH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...CHANCES FOR A FEW ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHERN AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. THURSDAY...INCREASING CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF THE DIVIDE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT WIND SPEEDS OF OVER 40 MPH. THANK YOU. TEAM RIVERTON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 213 PM MDT FRI JUL 22 2016 WYZ030-222100- EAST SWEETWATER COUNTY- 213 PM MDT FRI JUL 22 2016 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL SWEETWATER COUNTY UNTIL 300 PM MDT... AT 212 PM MDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 12 MILES SOUTH OF BITTER CREEK WEST AREA...WHICH IS 34 MILES EAST OF ROCK SPRINGS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. THIS STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... TABLE ROCK AROUND 240 PM MDT. OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE PATRICK DRAW NATURAL GAS PROCESSING PLANT...RED DESERT...BITTER CREEK AND TIPTON. THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 80 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 141 AND 166. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 15 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE. && LAT...LON 4119 10884 4157 10887 4178 10817 4145 10799 TIME...MOT...LOC 2012Z 242DEG 26KT 4147 10860 HATTINGS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 249 PM MDT FRI JUL 22 2016 WYZ002>004-222130- ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS-CODY FOOTHILLS-NORTH BIG HORN BASIN- 249 PM MDT FRI JUL 22 2016 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EAST CENTRAL PARK AND NORTHWESTERN BIG HORN COUNTIES UNTIL 330 PM MDT... AT 248 PM MDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER BUFFALO BILL STATE PARK...WHICH IS NEAR CODY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. THIS STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... CODY AROUND 300 PM MDT. RALSTON AROUND 320 PM MDT. POWELL AND GARLAND AROUND 330 PM MDT. OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE CODY YELLOWSTONE REGIONAL AIRPORT...PARK COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS...SUNSET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL...HEART MOUNTAIN U S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION POWER PLANT... NORTHWEST COLLEGE...FOSTER GULCH GOLF COURSE...LOVELL BRANCH LIBRARY...WESTSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL...PARK COUNTY LIBRARY POWELL BRANCH AND OLIVE GLENN GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 15 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE. && LAT...LON 4434 10916 4460 10935 4497 10849 4464 10820 TIME...MOT...LOC 2048Z 240DEG 37KT 4450 10919 HATTINGS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 348 PM MDT FRI JUL 22 2016 WYZ003>006-230000- CODY FOOTHILLS-NORTH BIG HORN BASIN-SOUTHWEST BIG HORN BASIN- SOUTHEAST BIG HORN BASIN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CODY...MEETEETSE...THERMOPOLIS... WORLAND 348 PM MDT FRI JUL 22 2016 SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION THROUGH 600 PM. MOST OF THE STORMS WILL BE MOVING EAST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA. WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG WITH BRIEF RAINFALL. A FEW STORMS WILL HAVE FREQUENT LIGHTNING. SEEK SAFE SHELTER WHEN STORMS APPROACH YOUR LOCATION. WYZ015>019-230000- WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS EAST-UPPER WIND RIVER BASIN-WIND RIVER BASIN- LANDER FOOTHILLS-GREEN MOUNTAINS AND RATTLESNAKE RANGE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...DUBOIS...RIVERTON...SHOSHONI...LANDER... JEFFREY CITY 348 PM MDT FRI JUL 22 2016 SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION THROUGH 700 PM. MOST OF THE STORMS WILL BE MOVING EAST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA. WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG WITH BRIEF RAINFALL. A FEW STORMS WILL HAVE FREQUENT LIGHTNING. SEEK SAFE SHELTER WHEN STORMS APPROACH YOUR LOCATION. WYZ014-023>026-230000- WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS WEST-STAR VALLEY- SALT RIVER AND WYOMING RANGES-UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN FOOTHILLS- UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...AFTON...ALPINE...STAR VALLEY RANCH... THAYNE...PINEDALE...LA BARGE...BIG PINEY...FARSON 348 PM MDT FRI JUL 22 2016 SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION THROUGH 600 PM. MOST OF THE STORMS WILL BE MOVING EAST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA. WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG WITH BRIEF RAINFALL. A FEW STORMS WILL HAVE FREQUENT LIGHTNING. SEEK SAFE SHELTER WHEN STORMS APPROACH YOUR LOCATION. AR
The Riverton/Lander radar (KRIW), 34 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:25 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several wind gusts past 60 mph were reported at Hunt Field in Lander. The highest gust was 71 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, July 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: 641375.