Blizzard — Wind River Mountains West, Wyoming

2017-03-31 · Wind River Mountains West, Wyoming

Event narrative

A combination of heavy snow and winds gusting over 45 mph at times brought blizzard conditions over South Pass. Highway 28 over South Pass was closed for over a day as a result.

Wider weather episode

A deep plume of Pacific moisture combined with a strong upper level low passing to the south to bring snow and wind to portions of the state. This was a warmer system with large variations in snowfall depending on elevation. The heaviest snow fell along the East Slopes of the Wind River Range. Many locations reported 2 to 3 feet of new snow. In addition, frequent wind gusts past 40 mph brought blizzard conditions at times that caused the closure of South Pass during the event. In the Lander Foothills, snow amounts were generally around 6 inches with higher amounts in the higher elevations. Although snowfall amounts were less across the Green and Rattlesnake Range, the combination of snow and strong wind caused the closure of Route 287 for several hours. Meanwhile, high winds occurred across Sweetwater County where a 59 mph wind gust occurred at the Rock Springs airport.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 683677. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.