Winter Storm — Wind River Mountains West, Wyoming

2019-02-13 to 2019-02-15 · Wind River Mountains West, Wyoming

Event narrative

Heavy snow fell in portions of the western Wind River Range, with Kendall Ranger Station receiving 17 inches of snow. The snow combined with high winds to close South Pass for a time.

Wider weather episode

A couple of Pacific fronts moved through western Wyoming and brought heavy snow to many locations. The heaviest snow fell in the Tetons where totals of over two feet were common. The highest amount was 44 inches at the Jackson Hole Ski Resort. Many areas in the Jackson Valley received over a foot of snow. Amounts of over two feet of new snow also occurred in the Salt and Wyoming Range and Yellowstone Park. At Bondurant, 26 inches of new snow fell. The heavy snow led to numerous avalanches that shut down many roads for a time. Meanwhile, high winds occurred across portions of Park, Natrona and Fremont Counties. A mountain wave developed near Clark in Park County and a maximum wind gust of 114 mph was measured. Hurricane force wind gusts occurred in the Green Mountains. Winds gusts over 60 mph occurred in the vicinity of Casper. These high winds over the Wind River Range resulted in the closure of South Pass for a time.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 808223. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.