Winter Weather — Wind River Mountains East, Wyoming

2023-02-28 · Wind River Mountains East, Wyoming

Event narrative

A narrow band of very heavy snow with over 2 inch an hour snowfall rates remained over South Pass for a few hours. The heavy snow and gusty wind resulted in the closure of Highway 28 over South Pass for several hours.

Wider weather episode

Another Pacific trough and cold front moved into western Wyoming and brought heavy snow, especially to the mountains. The Tetons and Salt and Wyoming Ranges, were the hardest hit, with both locations seeing over 2 feet of new snow in some locations. Portions of Yellowstone Park and the western Wind River Range also saw over a foot of new snow. Very heavy snow also fell in the Star Velley, with amounts ranging from 10 inches at Afton to 16 inches near Thayne. The snow included snow squalls that dropped visibility to nearly zero for brief periods of time. In the eastern Wind River Range, a nearly stationary narrow band of snow brought over a foot of accumulation and resulted in the closure of Highway 28 over South Pass for several hours.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1083457. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.