Flood — Washakie, Wyoming

2014-03-07 to 2014-03-09 · near Durkee, Washakie, Wyoming

Event narrative

Flooding of two ranches occurred along the Nowood River north of Ten Sleep. The ice jams formed on several bends in the serpentine river flooding ranch lands. At least one resident evacuated their residence as the water level climbed.

Wider weather episode

Ice built up on area rivers following very cold temperatures through February and early March. The last cold snap in early March was followed by a round of unseasonably warm temperatures that caused the ice to began melting and to break-up on the Big Horn and Nowood rivers in Big Horn and Washakie counties. The result was ice jam flooding that impacted areas from Worland to north of Greybull on the Big Horn River, and from near Ten Sleep to Manderson on the Nowood River.

The flooding began on Friday morning, March 7, in Worland near the Highway 789 bridge on the west side of town. Several homes received at least minor flooding, the local radio station had to be sandbagged to protect it, and at least 80 people were evacuated. A gas pipeline also broke in Riverside Park under the weight of the massive chunks of ice that were as big as trucks. The ice jams affecting Worland gradually gave way and moved downstream on March 8, but downstream areas north to the Big Horn County line still experienced flooding for the next few days. Flooding on the Nowood River in Washakie County inundated ranch lands, corrals, and a barn, and caused at least one resident to evacuate their home.

Additional flooding occurred downstream along both rivers in Big Horn County. One ranch along the Nowood River was significantly impacted by the rising water created by the ice jams. The town of Manderson, near the confluence of the Big Horn and Nowood, was threatened for a couple of days as the ice jams moved down both rivers. One business was flooded and water surrounded more than a few homes on March 9 and 10. At one time, water was flowing down the main street of town. Aggressive sandbagging efforts diverted water around Manderson school and the water treatment plant. Farther downstream on the Big Horn River, flooding threatened the town of Greybull. A levee system served well to protect the community and only three homes outside the levee received minor flooding. The Spence Oil Field north of Greybull and other low-lying areas north of town were flooded during the ice jam episode.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (44.1666, -107.6643)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 509205. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.