Flash Flood — Park, Wyoming

2015-05-15 · near Cody, Park, Wyoming

Event narrative

A thunderstorm rapidly developed to the south of Cody and tracked north over the city producing heavy rain and copious amounts of small hail. Hail drifts were measured in feet in some areas with a few low spots accumulating close to six feet of hail. The hail prevented the heavy rain from draining easily and water accumulated on area roads. Several business owners in downtown Cody reported minor flooding as the water piled up in the streets, especially along Sheridan Avenue. A bakery had water on the floors and in the basement and a gift shop flooded.

Wider weather episode

Moisture and instability ahead of an upper level low allowed for afternoon thunderstorms to develop across portions of central and northern Wyoming. Many of the storms were moving south to north within the counter-clockwise rotation of the low. Heavy rain, small hail, and funnel clouds were all observed in the Wind River and Big Horn basins.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (44.5237, -109.0692)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 583106. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.