Winter Storm — Wind River Mountains West, Wyoming

2017-04-07 to 2017-04-09 · Wind River Mountains West, Wyoming

Event narrative

The SNOTEL site at Gunsight Pass recorded 15 inches of new snow.

Wider weather episode

The combination of a deep Pacific trough and ample moisture brought heavy snow to portions of western and central Wyoming. The heaviest snow fell across the western mountains. The Tetons where especially hard hit with 23 inches of new snow at Grand Targhee and 20 inches at the Jackson Hole Ski Resort. Heavy snow also fell in the Star Valley with around 10 inches reported at Afton and the Star Valley Ranch. Upslope flow also brought heavy snow the eastern Bighorn Range with 19 inches at the Cloud Peak SNOTEL site. In the lower elevations, East of the Divide, snow bands developed in some areas. On particularly strong one developed over Fremont County and brought blizzard conditions for a short time. 6 to 8 inches of snow fell over a narrow strip, including the city of Riverton. Only five miles outside of the band, snowfall amounts dropped to almost nothing.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 684343. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.