Blizzard — Southeast Big Horn Basin, Wyoming

2008-12-26 · Southeast Big Horn Basin, Wyoming

Wider weather episode

An area of low pressure tracked northeast across Wyoming during the early morning of Friday, December 26. The track of this system helped to drag a cold front south through central Wyoming and produce upslope snow in its wake. Additionally, a strong pressure gradient developed across the state which generated gusty northwest wind of over 50 mph at Greybull, Buffalo, and Worland. This created blizzard conditions during the early and mid morning hours. Snowfall across the lower elevations generally ranged from three to six inches with slightly higher amounts in the mountains. The combination of wind and snow made travel nearly impossible in Washakie and southern Big Horn counties. Peak wind speeds at Greybull and Worland were 59 mph and 53 mph, respectively, at around 0645MST. The wind at Greybull gusted over 40 mph from 0430 to 1000MST. The peak wind at Buffalo registered 52 mph at 0748MST.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 142189. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.