Winter Storm in Wind River Mountains West, Wyoming

A very moist Pacific storm system brought strong westerly flow and heavy snow to western Wyoming over a 48-hour period. Snowfall of one to two feet fell in Star Valley and Jackson Hole. Most of the western Wyoming mountains saw two to four feet of snow. The heavy snow produced 16 major avalanches across the area. One of the hardest hit areas was Teton Pass, a popular commuter route over State Highway 22. The pass was first closed for about 14 hours beginning Wednesday evening, January 18. Eventually the pass was closed for nearly 48 hours from Thursday evening until Saturday afternoon due to avalanche reduction and snow maintenance work. Similar work was performed in Hoback Canyon between Jackson and Bondurant during the storm.