Winter Storm — Natrona County Lower Elevations, Wyoming

2023-01-01 to 2023-01-02 · Natrona County Lower Elevations, Wyoming

Event narrative

Heavy snow fell around the city of Casper with a maximum of 15.9 inches 1 mile East of downtown Casper. Around 8 inches fell at Powder River and 5 inches at Midwest. The heavy snow brought the closure of Interstate 25 and US 20 26 for many hours.

Wider weather episode

A potent winter storm rang in the New Year across Wyoming and brought heavy snow across much of the area, leading to numerous road closures, including Interstates 25 and 80, and severely hampering holiday travel. The heaviest snow fell East of the Divide. In the Wind River Mountains, as much as 27 inches of new snow fell. The Lander area saw the highest snowfall totals in the populated areas, with anywhere from 15 to 22 inches around town. Over a foot of snow also fell in the lower elevations of Lincoln, Natrona, Sublette and Sweetwater Counties. The snow was also accompanied by wind gusts close to 50 mph in the favored locations, bring near zero visibility with blowing and drifting snow.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1074192. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.