A Pacific low pressure system moved into the area and brought the first widespread snowstorm of the season. The heaviest snow fell in the favored east to northeast upslope flow areas.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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 Pacific low pressure system moved into the area and brought the first widespread snowstorm of the season. The heaviest snow fell in the favored east to northeast upslope flow areas. The east slopes of the Wind River Mountains had the most snow with 20 inches reported at the Hobbs Park SNOTEL. The Lander foothills had between 13 to 15 inches of snow with up to 9 inches near Thermopolis in Hot Springs County. Other snowfall totals included 8 to 11 inches in Rock Springs and Green River in Sweetwater County, 9 inches in Hyattville in Big Horn County, 10 inches near Ten Sleep in Washakie County, 9 inches in Buffalo in Johnson County and 7 inches in downtown Riverton.
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 Nov 16, 3:21 PM MST, 3 hours 39 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Riverton WY 321 PM MST Wed Nov 16 2016 .SHORT TERM...Today through Saturday Imagery showing semi-progressive upper wave pattern with a vigorous trof located across the western CONUS with the axis through northern ID and down into northern California. Strong upper jet of 100 to 130 kts currently located from central NV to the northeast and across central and eastern MT. Maximum area of lift associated with the jet still to the south/southwest across UT/NV. SFC has surface low spinning up over northern CO/southeast with cold front push south through WY, stretched from northeast WY into the Big Horn Basin and to the southwest into north/central UT. Tonight through Thursday, the upper trof translates east across the FA driving the cold front through WY and to the CO/WY border by mid- day Thursday. Concurrently with the movement of the upper trof, the best QG forcing, deep upslope flow into northern/central WY and better position under the jet (near right entrance region) will occur after midnight...really expanding and intensifying between 09Z and 15Z Thursday. Warnings and advisories are currently in place for most of the FA with the exception of some lower elevations west of the Divide and also over the northern Big Horn Basin. The current warning area includes the east Wind River Mountains which are located in a most favorable upslope position with heaviest snowfall expected after sunrise Thursday. The rest of the FA has advisories in place with the region of best best snowfall production stretching from northern Johnson county and through Fremont and western Natrona counties Thursday morning...coinciding largely with strong upslope in the boundary layer and the under the RER of the jet. May have to watch the Bighorn mountains for indications that they may get more widespread deep snow than is currently fcst. By the end of the day Thursday, the trof axis will be located over the northern and central Plains with the cold front well south of the region as renewed (instant occlusion) cyclogenesis takes place over the eastern Plains/lower MO Valley and a strong TROWAL begins to come together...east of the FA...thankfully. Friday and Saturday will see cold beginnings to both days but with ridging returning aloft and high pressure building in across the surface once again, the FA will see dry, but slow to warm, conditions with snow on the ground for most locations. .LONG TERM...Saturday night through Wednesday The main challenge will be temperatures in the longer range. Ridging will bring quiet weather through the remainder of the weekend. However...inversions will be a concern across the Basins where the heavier snow falls. There could likely be some melting by this point and inversions may not be quite as pronounced. For now, we have gone a few degrees below guidance for both high and low temperatures in the basins. The next system then approaches for Monday night and into Tuesday. At this point, it looks to split before reaching the area with the most energy remaining north and south of Wyoming. For now, we kept POPS no higher then chance and mainly across the higher elevations. It may help to mix out the inversions though and increase temperatures a bit though. Ridging should then control the weather from Tuesday night through most of Wednesday and bring seasonably cool but mainly dry conditions. && .AVIATION.../00Z ISSUANCE/ WEST OF THE DIVIDE...KBPI/KJAC/KPNA/KRKS ROUTES A cold front and approaching area of low pressure will bring lowering ceilings and areas of snow through 12Z Thursday with the worst conditions expected after 00z Thursday with MVFR and occasional IFR conditions expected with frequent mountain obscurations. Conditions should gradually improve after 12Z Thursday from west to east, although MVFR ceilings are still expected in many areas, especially after 18Z. EAST OF THE DIVIDE...KCOD/KCPR/KLND/KRIW/KWRL ROUTES A cold front will push south to the Divide by 00Z Thursday. In wake of the cold front expect breezy to windy northerly winds. The low clouds will be slow to develop initially, but should begin developing between by 00z Thursday becoming widespread by 06Z. Also snow is expected to break out over northern Wyoming in the evening spreading south as the night progresses reaching all areas by around 12z Thursday. Once the snow starts, IFR and MVFR conditions will likely persist through the remainder of the night and into much of Thursday with widespread mountain obscurations. Precipitation should end and ceilings slowly lift after 19Z from northwest to southeast, although ceilings and visibility may remain low at KCPR and KLND through 00Z Friday. && .FIRE WEATHER... Fire danger low for the next several days as cooling temperatures, and increased moisture invade the forecast area. Most locations stand a decent chance of seeing wetting precipitation with several inches of new snow likely across most of the region. Winds, however,will gust with this winter-like system some 20 to 40 mph at times. High temperatures will be some 20 to 30 degrees cooler Thursday through Saturday with modest warming returning Sunday. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 5 AM MST Thursday to 9 PM MST Thursday for WYZ019-020-022-028>030. Winter Storm Warning from 9 PM this evening to 6 PM MST Thursday for WYZ018. Winter Weather Advisory until noon MST Thursday for WYZ001-012. Winter Weather Advisory from 9 PM this evening to 6 PM MST Thursday for WYZ010-011. Winter Weather Advisory from 9 PM this evening to noon MST Thursday for WYZ005>007-017. Winter Weather Advisory until noon MST Thursday for WYZ002-003- 016. Winter Storm Warning until 6 PM MST Thursday for WYZ015. Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM MST Thursday for WYZ014. Winter Weather Advisory until 3 PM MST Thursday for WYZ008-009. && SHORT TERM...Braun LONG TERM...Hattings AVIATION...Hattings FIRE WEATHER...Braun
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY 359 AM MST WED NOV 16 2016 WYZ001>020-022>030-171200- 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- 359 AM MST WED NOV 16 2016 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR MUCH OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING FOR TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY... ...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE LANDER FOOTHILLS AND THE ADJACENT EAST SLOPE OF THE WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS FOR TONIGHT AND THURSDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN YELLOWSTONE PARK THIS MORNING AND THEN GRADUALLY SPREAD SOUTHEAST LATER TODAY AND INTO TONIGHT. MANY AREAS HAVE A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY BEGINNING SOMETIME TODAY AND CONTINUING INTO TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. WINTER STORM WARNINGS GO INTO EFFECT TONIGHT FOR THE LANDER FOOTHILLS AND EAST SLOPE OF THE WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS. SEE THE LATEST WINTER STATEMENT FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY FOR AREAS EAST OF THE DIVIDE WITH GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST. SOME AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW WILL ALSO OCCUR ALONG AND EAST OF THE DIVIDE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. THANK YOU. TEAM RIVERTON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 winter storm, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous SNOTEL sites reported over a foot of new snow. The highest amount reported was 20 inches at the Hobbs Park SNOTEL.
A few SNOTEL sites reported over a foot of snow, including a maximum of 16 inches at the Marquette SNOTEL.
Trained spotters measured 9 inches of snow in Buffalo.
A trained spotter measured 9 inches of snow at Hyattville. Lesser amounts were reported further north where Greybull had less than 2 inches.
Snow fall amounts ranged from 6 to almost 9 inches throughout the Southwest Big Horn Basin.
A trained spotter reported around 10 inches of snow near Ten Sleep. Lesser amounts were reported further west, where Worland had an average of 5 inches.
The official spotter measured 13.5 inches of snow at the Lander airport. Anywhere from 13 to 15 inches of new snow was measured around Lander.
A COOP observer measured 7.1 inches of snow in downtown Riverton. Eight inches of snow was measured in Hudson.
Trained spotters reported from 7 to 11 inches of snow across Rock Springs and Green River.
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, November 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: 663384, 663386, 663391, 663388, 663387, 663389, 663385, 663390, 664545.