Rapid snow melt caused by warming temperatures produced flooding in portions of Sublette County. There was flooding in the normally flood prone areas around LaBarge where water rose into a couple of houses basements.
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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.
Rapid snow melt caused by warming temperatures produced flooding in portions of Sublette County. There was flooding in the normally flood prone areas around LaBarge where water rose into a couple of houses basements. In addition, high water closed portions of Highway 372 between Mile Markers 40 and 48 for a couple of days. The water receded the morning on March 14th.
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 Mar 12, 1:09 PM MST, 5 hours 51 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Riverton WY 209 PM MDT Sun Mar 12 2017 .Short Term...Tonight Through Wednesday Cool high pressure with northwest flow will be over the western mountains with variable clouds and some snow showers over the mountains most numerous to the north over Yellowstone National Park. Temperatures will gradually warm into mid week. Winds will remain rather strong and gusty of the higher ridges and passes decreasing most significantly on Tuesday. Dry and warmer weather will continue to produce favorable conditions for rapid snow melt below 7500 feet in southwest Wyoming keeping the threat for flooding elevated. .Long Term...Wednesday Night Through Sunday Moisture increases over NW WY Wednesday night with precipitation starting after midnight. The system passes by on Thursday with some rain and mountain snow over the northwest and north. The 12Z GFS model seems overdone with the south extension of the precip Thursday since much of the energy is north. 12Z ECMWF is similar to the GFS with this signature. Will not alter going forecast much and see how things play out. Breezy to windy on Thurs. Lingering precip over the north Thursday evening will end by midnight. Then dry weather is forecast Friday and Saturday. Breezy to windy Saturday into Saturday night. Moisture returns to western WY Saturday night ahead of the next weather system and some rain and snow to develop in the west. Next Sunday may be unsettled with rain and snow out west and scattered showers east of the divide with a hint of thunder possible. Plenty of time to watch this to see how it plays out. Temps will be a little cooler Thursday then milder Friday. Saturday looks to be very mild and for some places the warmest day of 2017 to date, now that the snow cover is gone at the lower elevations. Cooling down next Sunday. && .Aviation.../00Z Issuance/ WEST OF THE DIVIDE...KBPI/KJAC/KPNA/KRKS ROUTES VFR conditions to prevail at the terminal sites through 00Z Tuesday. Isolated snow showers will occur through 01Z in the higher mountains. A gusty wind will occur through 01Z, then decrease after 02Z. Isolated to scattered snow showers will return to the northwest mountains after 06Z through 00Z Tuesday. EAST OF THE DIVIDE...KCOD/KCPR/KLND/KRIW/KWRL ROUTES VFR conditions will prevail at the terminal sites through 00Z Tuesday. A gusty wind will occur at most terminal sites through 01Z, then gradually decrease by 04Z. && .Fire Weather... Cool high pressure with northwest flow will be over the western mountains with variable clouds and some snow showers over the mountains most numerous to the north over Yellowstone National Park. Temperatures will gradually warm into mid week. Winds will remain rather strong and gusty of the higher ridges and passes decreasing most significantly on Tuesday. Dry and warmer weather will continue to produce favorable conditions for rapid snow melt below 7500 feet in southwest Wyoming keeping the threat for flooding elevated. The western valleys will continue to be capped by inversions with generally poor smoke dispersal. The windier areas will have favorable mixing with fair to good smoke dispersal in the afternoons. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...C.Baker LONG TERM...AR AVIATION...AR FIRE WEATHER...C.Baker
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Riverton WY 203 PM MDT Sun Mar 12 2017 WYZ001>020-022>030-132015- 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- 203 PM MDT Sun Mar 12 2017 ...Flood warning continues for the Blacks Fork river in western Sweetwater county through Tuesday morning... ...Flood advisory in effect for southern Lincoln and Southwest Sublette county due to snow melt flooding... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Western and Central Wyoming. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Snow melt will continue to cause flooding in Southwest Wyoming. Some snow showers will be over the north and east. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Dry and warmer weather will continue to produce favorable conditions for rapid snow melt below 7500 feet in southwest Wyoming keeping the threat for flooding elevated. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are requested to report flooding.
The Riverton/Lander radar (KRIW), 178 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:59 UTC.
1 flood, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Sublette County Emergency Management reported flooding along portions of Highway 372 between Mile Markers 40 and 48. That portion of the road was closed for over 24 hours before the waters receded.
The Sublette County Emergency Manager reported a couple of houses had water in the basements along the Green River above the Fontenelle Reservoir.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, March 2017
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: 681725, 681726.