Wyoming, 2024

Avalanche in Wyoming, January 14, 2024

January 14, 2024 · NWS RIW · 1 event in 1 county or zone

On January 14, 2024, at approximately 11:30 AM MST, a skier unintentionally triggered an avalanche on a mid-elevation (8,500 ), northwest-facing, sparsely treed slope above an indistinct gully on the Northwest Face of Little Poudre Mountain in Lincoln County Wyoming. The skier was killed in the avalanche.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS RIW wrote it up.

On January 14, 2024, at approximately 11:30 AM MST, a skier unintentionally triggered an avalanche on a mid-elevation (8,500 ), northwest-facing, sparsely treed slope above an indistinct gully on the Northwest Face of Little Poudre Mountain in Lincoln County Wyoming. The skier was killed in the avalanche. No other individuals were injured or killed.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.

Avalanche, Salt River & Wyoming Ranges

When
January 14, 11:30 AM MST to 11:45 AM MST
Where
Salt River & Wyoming Ranges forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
Park/Forest Service
Coordinates
42.516, -110.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

From Bridger-Teton National Forecast Avalanche Forecast Staff: On January 14, 2024, at approximately 11:30 AM, a skier unintentionally triggered an avalanche on a mid-elevation (8,500 ), northwest-facing, sparsely treed slope above an indistinct gully on the Northwest Face of Little Poudre Mountain. This large, soft slab avalanche filled a relatively narrow path. The weak snow layer formed during a prolonged dry period in December that was buried by approximately 30 of snow falling during a series of storms that began on January 4th. The avalanche broke approximately 50 wide and 1-3 deep and entrained more snow along the flanks of a shallow gully. The avalanche fell approximately 600 vertical feet. The slide path is one of several sparsely wooded avalanche paths on the northwest face of Little Poudre Mountain that run the full 1,200 length of the face. This avalanche was one of the dozens reported in the region during a particularly active avalanche cycle. The skier was killed in the avalanche. No other individuals were injured or killed. Please see avalanche.org for the full event report.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Avalanche, Salt River & Wyoming Ranges2024-01-1441MaleOutside/Open AreasDirect

What these are

Avalanche
A mass of snow sliding down a mountainside that caused a death, an injury or damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Wyoming in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, January 2024

Sources

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: 1158056.