Winter Storm — Upper Green River Basin, Wyoming

2016-10-16 to 2016-10-17 · Upper Green River Basin, Wyoming

Event narrative

Heavy snow fell with widespread reports of 6 to 12 inches. At Big Piney, the heavy, wet snow caused the school bus barn's roof to collapse.

Wider weather episode

Strong, moist westerly flow off the Pacific Ocean brought abundant moisture to the mountains and valleys of western Wyoming. The precipitation fell as snow in the mountains, with the heaviest snow of 12 to 18 inches falling in the Salt River, Wyoming, and western Wind River ranges. The position and strength of a jet streak helped to produce and sustain persistent snow in a swath from Big Piney to Pinedale in Sublette County. Snowfall rates reached up to 2 inches an hour during the late evening of Sunday, October 16, and early morning hours of Monday, October 17. Totals within this heavy snow band ranged from 8 inches to 15 inches with the greatest totals from around Daniel to Pinedale. In Big Piney, the heavy, wet snow caused the collapse of a school bus building roof. East of the Continental Divide the story was strong downslope wind. Wind gusts in the Lander Foothills topped 70 mph with a peak of 80 mph along the North Fork of the Popo Agie River. The strong winds blew over a tree in a Lander residential area.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 658974. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.