Winter Storm — East Sweetwater County, Wyoming

2023-01-01 to 2023-01-02 · East Sweetwater County, Wyoming

Event narrative

Heavy snow fell in portions of Eastern Sweetwater County, with a maximum snowfall of 16 inches at Wamsutter. The snow fell with wind gusting close to 50 mph, bringing blowing and drifting snow and resulting in a long closure of Interstate 80.

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 1074194. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.