A fast moving system brought locally heavy snow to portions of central and southern Wyoming. The highest amounts fell in the Lander Foothills and the adjacent East Slope of the Wind River Range.
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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.
A fast moving system brought locally heavy snow to portions of central and southern Wyoming. The highest amounts fell in the Lander Foothills and the adjacent East Slope of the Wind River Range. Across the Lander Foothills anywhere from 10 to 20 inches of snow fell. The highest amount in the Wind River Range was 19 inches at the Townsend Creek SNOTEL site. Some other amounts included 7 inches at the Buckboard Marina near Rock Springs and 6 to 9 inches around Beaver Rim.
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 28, 10:13 PM MST, 2 hours 47 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Riverton WY 1113 PM MDT Thu Mar 28 2019 .UPDATE... Issued at 554 PM MDT Thu Mar 28 2019 We added a Winter Weather Advisory for the Wind River Basin for 3 am Friday until 9 pm Saturday. Models are in good overall agreement bringing higher QPF/snow amounts into the southern Wind River Basin Friday morning where warm conveyor belt sets up under strong upper divergence, so we are bringing the heavier snow amounts (5"-9") north to approximately a Lander to Moneta line. && .SHORT TERM...This afternoon through Friday Forecast elements are coming together today. A frontal boundary moved through the forecast area earlier this morning. The main cold front will be entering far western WY early this afternoon and progress eastward through the overnight hours. Rain and snow showers moved over these areas earlier this morning, with drying conditions quickly following these showers over E ID. Have reduced PoPs over much of the west, as the trend for widespread precipitation has dropped with the 12Z model runs. Most of the precipitation activity will be over the far north this afternoon, as the focus shifts to southern portions tonight. This will be due to the left front quad (LFQ) of the jet supporting the advancing cold front. A low center at 700mb will develop along the front near the UT/WY border by 00Z Friday, with the surface low over near the WY/UT/CO border. Precipitation will develop over far SW WY between 00Z and 03Z Friday, spreading northeastward to the Wind River Mountains through 06Z. This trend will continue as the surface low deepens and moves over E Sweetwater/W Carbon County by 09Z/12Z Friday. This will set up a deformation band that will extend from Sweetwater County, through southern Fremont and western Natrona counties by 12Z Friday. Snow levels will be near 6000 ft through western Sweetwater and central Fremont counties through 09Z, dropping to 5000 ft by 12Z and affecting areas from E Sweetwater County, most of Fremont County and western Natrona County. Depending on the location of the surface low will determine how much of this precipitation affects central Fremont County. There remains some forecast uncertainty for the Casper area between 18Z and 00Z Saturday with regards to temperatures and snow levels. The NAM tracks the surface low toward the Laramie area by 18Z and thus, brings in the cold air through S Natrona County. The GFS, on the other hand, is about 3 hrs behind on this track. This would keep most of the precip in the Casper area as rain, with the possibility of changing to snow by mid-afternoon. Even if this would occur, most of the accumulations would occur on grassy surfaces. Have opted to go toward the NAM solution and kept temperatures at or near freezing Friday afternoon. Have upgraded the watches to advisories and warnings; Warnings in effect for snow, in addition to gusty north to northwest winds, over Sweetwater County, the Wind River Mountains (southern end including South Pass), Casper Mountain and the Rattlesnake Range/Green Mountains. Advisories for Natrona County and the east side of the Bighorns (for the southern end), partly for the uncertainty with temperatures. .LONG TERM...Friday night through Thursday Expect that the continued snow should taper off from west- southwest to east-northeast through the evening and will trend downward precip chances for Friday night as the storm system shifts east of the forecast area. Have followed with the slightly faster timing of the snow ending as per the NAM model, compared to the slower GFS solution. The forecast area will be on the western fringe of a large area of high pressure that will build southward across the plains states through Saturday. After a cold morning low in the upper teens to lower 20s, temps should warm nicely into the 40s across the region. The GFS/ECMWF models remain in decent agreement involving keeping most of the forecast area dry on Sunday and Sunday night look dry for most places. The models still indicate that isolated rain/snow showers will be possible for the northwest mountains by Saturday afternoon/evening. There is still good agreement that Monday and Monday night will be dry east of the divide and across the south. The models still indicate that a short wave will push east toward western Wyoming, with rain and snow showers on the increase Monday into Monday night. A westerly flow aloft will result in continued precip on Tuesday and Wednesday across the west and continued active short waves moving into the west. Colder air in the mid-upper levels is progged by the models to move into the west by Wednesday, with mainly snow showers expected between Wednesday and Wednesday night. It is expected that some of the precip should shift east of the Divide on Tuesday and Wednesday, with isolated/scattered rain/snow showers expected. The system should shift east of the region by late Wednesday, with the precip expected to taper off. Drier conditions and a west-southwesterly flow will set up on Thursday, with a warming trend expected. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Friday night) Issued at 1111 PM MDT Thu Mar 28 2019 West of the Divide...KBPI/KJAC/KPNA/KRKS Routes Widespread IFR, areas of LIFR snow are expected to spread across southwest Wyoming, vicinity and east of a KEVW-KPNA line, by 12z Friday and continue through 00z Saturday. Adjacent mountains will be mostly obscured. Isolated to scattered MVFR/IFR snow showers are expected north of a KAFO-KDUB line through this period with occasional mountain obscurations. Snow showers are expected to gradually decrease across the southwest Friday night, but widespread MVFR, areas of IFR ceilings are expected to remain through 12z Saturday. East of the Divide...KCOD/KCPR/KLND/KRIW/KWRL Routes Widespread IFR, areas of LIFR snow are expected to push to a vicinity KLND-KRIW-KCPR line by 12z Friday and continue through the afternoon. Snow will be mostly lighter and less widespread north of this line, but MVFR ceilings will be widespread along with areas of IFR/LIFR ceilings through 00z Saturday. Snow should decrease in intensity and coverage Friday evening, but areas of MVFR/IFR ceilings will linger mainly along and south of a KRIW- KCPR line through 12z Saturday. && .FIRE WEATHER... Mainly dry conditions this afternoon, with isolated showers over the north/northwest. Increasing chances for snow over southern and central portions through the overnight hours tonight. Snow will continue over these areas through the day Friday, with gusty north to northwest winds from the Bighorn Basin to Sweetwater County. Light snow will occur over southwest portions tonight. Snow will end across the area Friday night, with dry conditions returning for Saturday. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Storm Warning from 9 AM to 9 PM MDT Friday for WYZ022. Winter Storm Warning until 9 PM MDT Friday for WYZ014-015-019- 028>030. Winter Weather Advisory from 3 AM to 9 PM MDT Friday for WYZ017- 018. Winter Weather Advisory from 9 AM to 9 PM MDT Friday for WYZ009. Winter Weather Advisory from 6 AM to 9 PM MDT Friday for WYZ020. && UPDATE...Meunier SHORT TERM...LaVoie LONG TERM...Troutman AVIATION...Meunier FIRE WEATHER...LaVoie
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Riverton WY 210 PM MDT Thu Mar 28 2019 WYZ001>020-022>030-291300- 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- 210 PM MDT Thu Mar 28 2019 ...Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories in Effect for Central and Southwest Wyoming Tonight through Friday Evening... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Western and Central Wyoming. .DAY ONE...Rest of Today and Tonight Snow will increase in intensity and coverage across southwest Wyoming after midnight Friday. The snow will spread northeast into portions of central Wyoming by sunrise Friday. The heaviest snow will fall across Sweetwater County. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday Friday...The snow will become more widespread across central Wyoming Friday morning and increase in intensity through midday. Meanwhile, the snow will continue across eastern portions of Sweetwater County. Gusty north to northwest wind will combine with the snow to produce blowing snow and reduced visibility. The snow will gradually taper off Friday evening. The heaviest snow accumulations and most significant travel impacts are expected across Sweetwater and Natrona Counties as well as the stretch of US Highway 287 between Muddy Gap and Beaver Rim. Tuesday and Wednesday...A chance of snow in the western mountains. A chance of rain and snow in the western valleys. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report any snow amounts. Thank you.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow fell in portions of the Wind River Range. The highest amount was 19 inches at the Townsend Creek SNOTEL site.
An off duty NWS meteorologist reported anywhere from 6 to 9 inches of snow to the west of Beaver Rim.
Heavy snow fell throughout the Lander Foothills, with 10 to 20 inches of new snow commonplace. At the Lander Airport, 14,3 inches of new snow was measured.
A trained spotter reported 7 inches of snow at the Buckboard Marina at Flaming Gorge.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, March 2019
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: 811276, 811277, 811278, 811275.