Winter Storm — Northeast Johnson County, Wyoming

2008-10-10 to 2008-10-12 · Northeast Johnson County, Wyoming

Wider weather episode

A large low pressure system tracked from the southern Great Basin across Wyoming bringing heavy snowfall to western and central Wyoming. The slow moving storm pumped abundant moisture north into the state ahead of the main area of low pressure producing heavy snow.

Snowfall of 6 to 12 inches occurred at most lower elevation locations. However, upslope favored locations such as Thermopolis and Lander received 24 to near 30 inches of snow, respectively. The heavy snow wreaked havoc on trees around the cities of Worland, Thermopolis, and Lander. Numerous trees were still in full leaf causing branches to break under the weight of the snow. The falling tree limbs caused power outages lasting up to five hours near Thermopolis. Hundreds of tree limbs fell at Hot Springs State Park prompting officials to request state assistance. Long-time residents of Thermopolis recalled this being the worst tree damage due to snow in recent memory. Snow totals of one to two feet were common in the high country. Higher amounts of two to three feet were found on the east slopes of the Wind River and Absaroka ranges.

Northwest to northeast wind of 15 to 25 mph persisted throughout the region during the 48-hour snowstorm. The strongest winds were observed in Sweetwater County where easterly wind was routinely clocked between 30 and 45 mph on Saturday. A peak gust of 56 mph was recorded at the Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Airport at 1246MST on October 11. However, a lack of snowfall kept visibilities across Sweetwater County around three-quarters of a mile or better during the storm.

The heavy snow and slick roads caused three separate accidents on state or federal highways on Friday night, October 10. The accidents were responsible for four deaths and four injuries. Two accidents occurred in Park County while another happened in Johnson County.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 132385. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.