The combination of a low pressure system moving to the north of Wyoming with the passage of a shortwave brought widespread high wind to much of western and central Wyoming. There were numerous reports of hurricane force wind gusts, with some around 100 mph.
Every event with a place to put it; 23 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.
The combination of a low pressure system moving to the north of Wyoming with the passage of a shortwave brought widespread high wind to much of western and central Wyoming. There were numerous reports of hurricane force wind gusts, with some around 100 mph. Transportation was severely impacted as there were numerous truck blow overs, with many highways closed to truck traffic for much of the day. Tree damage was commonplace, with reports of damage to roofs, sheds, fences and outbuildings.
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 11, 8:58 PM MST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Riverton WY 958 PM MDT Wed Mar 11 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Windy and dry today, with the next weather maker entering the region tonight. - Widespread gusty winds 40 to 60 mph occur Thursday, stronger for the mountains. Isolated areas up to 70 mph possible. - Strong winds and snow begins across the mountains tonight. Winter travel conditions are expected for these higher elevations Thursday, with continued snow and wind into the weekend. && .UPDATE... Issued at 1247 PM MDT Wed Mar 11 2026 Today's update is just refining the details of the big event tomorrow. The overall message remains the same, however, with widespread 40 to 70 mph gusts. Have adjusted some of the specific timings of the High Wind Warnings, as the chances for gusts on the lee side of mountains could occur earlier than what was previously thought. Have also upgraded the final watches to High Wind Warnings for the Bighorn Basin and Johnson County as confidence has increased (60 to 90 percent) for gusts over 55 mph. Finally, have hoisted Winter Weather Advisories for the Tetons and Yellowstone National Park. This mainly is due to the expected combination of wind and snow. Snow totals are not overall impressive, but with wind, will bring reduced visibilities and difficult travel for those along mountain passes or doing any mountainous recreation. The period of heaviest snow is expected Thursday afternoon into the early evening, where snow rates could be around an inch an hour at times. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 357 AM MDT Wed Mar 11 2026 A brief lull is expected across the state today in what has been a busy first half of the week in terms of weather. Temperatures today are forecast to be on the cooler side with highs in the low to mid 40s east of the Divide and mid to upper 30s west of the Divide. Winds will be lighter compared to the past few days with gusts of 20 to 30 mph. Stronger gusts of 30 to 40 will be possible along the Wind Corridor from Casper to Rock Springs. Cloud cover increases through the day as a result of the next weather maker nearing the region. All focus now shifts to a very potent jet that will set up across the northern half of the CONUS. 500 mb winds look very robust with a strong jet streak of 120 to 150 kts stretching from southwestern Canada down into the northern High Plains. As a result, the pressure gradient will become very tight across the region. 700 mb winds of 50-90 kts will spread across nearly all of the state Thursday. The strongest winds currently look to be east of the Divide with widespread wind gusts in excess of 60 mph likely throughout much of the day Thursday. Current probabilistic guidance gives nearly all lower elevation locations east of the Divide a solid 60-80% chance of seeing gusts in excess of 70 mph. The only exception to this is portions of Johnson County and the eastern Bighorn Basin where confidence is not as high. Higher elevations will see very potent wind gusts, likely in excess of 80 mph at times. Chances to see gusts in excess of 80 mph range from 60-90% over much of the Absarokas, Bighorns, Owl Creek Mtns, Bridger Mtns, Wind River, Green Mtns, Rattlesnake Range, and Casper Mtn. This likely creates dangerous conditions along mountain highways/routes such as Powder River/Granite Passes, South Pass, and Chief Joseph (Wyoming Highway 296) along with many others. The strongest winds look to occur Thursday but gusty winds of 40 to 55 mph are still likely to persist through Saturday. 700 mb winds do weaken some Friday with speeds ranging from 40-70 kts over much of the state. Winds are expected to decrease some overnight Thursday into Friday and then again Friday into Saturday. Winds are expected to gradually increase each day during the late morning and peak during the afternoon/evening hours. There will still likely be some gusty winds through the overnight hours these days. High Wind Watches were issued during the day Tuesday and many of these Watches have been upgraded to warnings due to increased confidence. The zones that remain Watches still have the potential for strong gusts in excess of 55 mph but confidence is not as high. The eastern Bighorn Basin and Johnson County have remained watches due to there still being some uncertainty. Casper Mtn has been added to the list of High Wind Warning locations due to increased confidence in seeing criteria level wind gusts. Probabilistic guidance has highlighted these area as having a good chance 60-80% of seeing gusts of 75 mph or more. The Tetons/Gros Ventre and Salt River/Wyoming Ranges may need a wind related highlight but at this time no issuance has been made. This is due to chance of criteria winds being a coin toss with 50/50 chances of seeing gusts exceeding 75 mph. So this is something that will need to be reexamined during the day today. The other aspect of this upcoming weather event will be a prolonged period of precipitation across the higher elevations of northern and central WY. Predominately westerly/northwesterly flow will persist over the region Thursday through Saturday. This looks to funnel precipitation across northern mountain ranges such as the Absaroka, Bighorn, Teton, Gros Ventre, and northern Wind River Ranges. The most favorable mountain ranges looks to be the Absarokas, Tetons, and Gros Ventre. Models have increased QPF amounts compared to last night with large areas of amounts ranging from 0.75 to nearly 2 inches. There is one caveat to this though and that is very mild temperatures across much of the region. 700 mb temperatures are currently forecast to range from -2 to -5C which would keep snow levels at around 7500-8000 ft during that daytime. That being said, snow ratios would still be rather low even above 8000 ft. Models are showing snow ratios around 12:1 to 10:1 in the best situations with ratios further decreasing after Friday and Saturday. So currently, snowfall amounts as a result of the prolonged period of favorable flow mostly range from 1 to 2 feet. There may be areas with amounts nearing 3 feet mainly along the highest peaks of the most favorable mountains ranges mentioned previously. Overall, the main take away is that any snow that falls Thursday through Saturday morning will likely be very wet and heavy. Now combine the very strong winds that are forecast across the higher elevations with moderate to heavy snowfall. There is the potential for very hazardous travel conditions to occur at times Thursday through Saturday across the higher elevations of northern and northwestern WY. As a result of the combination of strong gusty winds, and periods of moderate to heavy snowfall, Winter Storm Watches have been issued for these locations. The timing for these highlights is rather long starting Thursday evening through Saturday evening. There will likely be some breaks in heavy precipitation over this period. However, the combination of the strong gusty winds and heavy precipitation is a concern which warrants Watches at this time. As for the Bighorns they will see precipitation move in later in the day Thursday. Currently the best chances for amounts of a foot or more look to remain across the northern half of the range and above 8,500 feet. No highlights have been issued for the Bighorns at this time but one may be needed eventually. A cold front will gradually make its way into the area by Friday but looks to get stall across the northern/northeastern portion of the state. The front does look to finally make its way south Saturday. Behind the front there does look to be much colder air that will filter into the region. Along with the colder temperatures there will be chances for widespread precipitation across all elevations mainly east of the Divide. Models are not showing any major impacts with the current likely outcome being a few inches of snowfall Saturday night into Sunday morning. Looking a bit ahead there are early indications for a very potent area of high pressure to build in over the western CONUS by the start of next week (March 16th). There continues to be agreement among long range models and ensembles for this to occur. It is looking increasingly possible that much of the western CONUS and Intermountain West will see a period of WELL above normal temperatures. The NBM, which usually tends to be on the more tame side when compared to other models, is showing a multi day stretch of record breaking temperatures. Highs have the potential to get into the mid to upper 70s by the middle of the week. There is a possibility for some locations to near their all time March high temperature records. Now this is still quite a ways out but with each passing day chances for this occurring continue to grow. The other aspect of this is the potential for rapid snow melt if overnight temperatures are able to remain above freezing across the higher elevations. The greatest concern would be over western and central mountains where there is near to slightly above normal snow pack. This situation definitely bears monitoring as we near the end of the work week and enter the weekend. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 957 PM MDT Wed Mar 11 2026 KJAC will continue to see MVFR to IFR conditions through the first several hours of the period as a shortwave passes through the northwest flow. These impacts should end by 12Z, though the next approaching wave will return potential MVFR conditions to KJAC by late Thursday morning. The more widespread aviation concern will be notably strong wind. This will begin to ramp up overnight at KCOD and KCPR, with most remaining terminals following before 18Z. Gusts of 40 to 50 knots will be fairly widespread, though strongest east of the Continental Divide. Wind will begin to decrease late in the period, though with most terminals holding on to gusts over 30 knots through Thursday evening. Otherwise, chances for precipitation impacts are expected to increase at KJAC after 00Z Friday and have included prevailing MVFR conditions there for now. Please see the Aviation Weather Center and/or CWSU ZDV and ZLC for the latest information on icing and turbulence forecasts. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 1247 PM MDT Wed Mar 11 2026 Widespread strong west to southwest winds 40 to 70 mph occur Wednesday night through Thursday evening. Overall, minimum RHs Thursday are 20 to 30 percent. However, wind may mix the air a bit more than current models suggest, resulting in isolated areas of drier conditions, nearing 15 percent. Driest locations will be the basins east of the Continental Divide, such as Fire Zones 275, 280, 281, and 283. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory until midnight MDT Thursday night for WYZ001-012. High Wind Warning until midnight MDT Thursday night for WYZ002- 015. High Wind Warning until 9 PM MDT Thursday for WYZ003-008-009. High Wind Warning from 9 AM to 9 PM MDT Thursday for WYZ004>007-010-011-016>018-030. High Wind Warning until midnight MDT Thursday night for WYZ019- 020-022. && UPDATE...Wittmann DISCUSSION...Dziewaltowski AVIATION...Myers FIRE WEATHER...Wittmann
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Riverton WY 1247 PM MDT Wed Mar 11 2026 WYZ001>020-022>030-121300- Yellowstone National Park-Absaroka Mountains-Cody Foothills- North Bighorn Basin-Southwest Bighorn Basin-Southeast Bighorn 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- 1247 PM MDT Wed Mar 11 2026 ...High Wind Warnings in Effect for Much of the Region Late Tonight into Thursday Evening... ...Winter Weather Advisory Posted for the Northwest Mountains Late Tonight through Thursday Evening... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Western and Central Wyoming. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight. A storm system will produce snow in the western mountains beginning late Wednesday evening through the overnight hours. To the east, wind speeds begin to increase and become strong late tonight across the higher terrain and Natrona County. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. Thursday and Thursday Evening...Widespread wind gusts 40 to 60 mph with localized gusts 60 to around 70 mph east of the Continental Divide. The combination of snow and wind creates hazardous travel conditions over the western mountain passes. Friday through Saturday Night...Widespread wind gusts 35 to 50 mph across most of the region. Another round of heavier snow arrives by Friday afternoon and persists through Saturday night. Passage of a cold front Saturday night could lead to light snowfall across lower elevations east of the Continental Divide after sunset Saturday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
23 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Hurricane force wind gusts occurred along the Chief Joseph highway, with a maximum gust of 96 mph.
High wind was widespread throughout most of Natrona County. Wind gusts past 75 mph were widespread. Some of the more notable wind gusts included 89 mph at Twenty Mile Hill along Interstate 25 to north of Casper, 89 mph at Scenic Drive on the south side of Casper and 79 mph at the Natrona County airport. Interstate 25 was shut down to all commercial traffic for much of the day. There were numerous reports of downed trees, roof damage as well as damaged outbuildings and sheds.
High wind was widespread throughout most of the Cody Foothills. Some of the more notable gusts included 93 mph at Wood River East, 87 mph at Irma Lake, and 78 mph at Clark. The Cody airport had a maximum wind gust of 63 mph. There were numerous reports of downed trees in Cody, some falling on power lines, bringing power outages. The sign at the Cody Hospital was destroyed. Many homes had shingle damage from the wind.
The School House RAWS site had maximum wind gusts of 88 mph.
Wind gusts as high as 101 mph occurred at Red Canyon along Wyoming Highway 28. A semi truck was blown over the pass was closed for several hours.
High wind occurred throughout the Lander Foothills, with a maximum wind gust of 104 mph at a mesonet sensor along the North Fork of the Popo Agie River. The Lander Airport gusted to 84 mph. Much of Lander was without power for several hours at the height of the storm. Numerous trees were downed, homes sustained roof damage and numerous sheds and outbuildings were damaged.
A measured gust of 123 mph at the Surprise Pinnacle BTAC wind sensor in the Teton Range.
Wind gusts of 79 mph occurred at the Grass Creek and Boysen weather sensors.
High wind occurred in much of eastern Sweetwater County. The maximum gusts were at Bitter Creek, where 92 mph wind gusts damaged a WYDOT building. Interstate 80 was closed to commercial for much of the day.
A measured gusts of 80 mph at the Grand Teton RAWS sensor.
High wind occurred in northern Johnson County, with a maximum wind gust of 71 mph at the Johnson County airport near Buffalo.
High wind occurred at Casper Mountain, with a maximum gust of 90 mph along Casper Mountain Road.
A maximum wind gust of 62 mph occurred at the Hot Springs County Airport near Thermopolis.
High wind occurred in the Wind River Basin. A maximum gust of 80 mph occurred at the Sharpnose RAWS site, with gusts to 79 mph at the Riverton airport. In Riverton, numerous trees were uprooted and many homes sustained roof damge. Some sheds and outbuildings were destroyed.
Wind gusts of 75 mph occurred at Pathfinder Reservoir along Highway 220.
High wind occurred in southern Johnson County, with a maximum gust of 92 mph near the Tisdale Divide. A semi truck was blown over on Interstate 25. A WYDOT building in Kaycee was damaged by the wind.
A maximum wind gust of 64 mph occurred at the DuBois airport with a 60 mph gust reported in Crowheart.
A 59 mph wind gust occurred at the Greybull airport.
Measured gusts of 68 mph at the Cottonwood Merna PC sensor, and 59 mph at the Farson WYDOT sensor.
Wind gust to 91 mph at the Skyline PC mesonet sensor near Atlantic City.
Measured gust to 109 mph at the Mt Coffin BTAC mesonet sensor, in the high elevations of the Wyoming Range.
Wind gusts of 58 mph occurred at the Worland airport and the Hidden Creek RAWS site. A tree was blown over in Ten Sleep.
Measured gust to 58 mph at the Green River Tunnel East WYDOT sensor.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, March 2026
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: 1326271, 1326285, 1326272, 1326277, 1326280, 1326283, 1327309, 1326276, 1326288, 1327312, 1326278, 1326286, 1326274, 1326282, 1326284, 1326279, 1326281, 1326273, 1327333, 1327317, 1327329, 1326275, 1327335.