Home > February 21-23, 2003 Snow Event 

Weekend Snow Storm Brings over Two Feet of Snow to Parts of Western Mountains

February 24, 2003 - West and Central Wyoming received a one-two punch from Old Man Winter over the weekend.  A Pacific storm slammed into the western mountains Friday night, bringing over a foot of snow and strong winds.  A wind gust of 73 mph was recorded at the top of Pine Creek Ski Area east of Cokeville on Saturday.  This first storm system also spread snow across north and central Wyoming on Saturday.  As this system exited into the Central Plains,  frigid Arctic air spread south across the state Saturday night and Sunday accompanied with widespread light snow and bitterly cold northerly winds.  Temperatures plunged well into the double-digit sub-zeroes Monday morning; Grant Village in Yellowstone National Park recorded the coldest reading at 51 below zero!   Several record lows were set including the Natrona County International Airport  in Casper at 30 below zero shattering the old record of 13 below zero set in 1960.  This reading also set an all-time record low for February, previously 29 below on February 3, 1980; and also the record low so late in the season previously set on January 28, 1980 at 32 below zero.   A record low was also set at Worland at 30 below zero breaking the previous record 18 below zero in 1962, and Riverton tied their record low at 20 below zero.  On the map below, the heaviest storm total snowfall amounts were centered over the western mountains.  This hefty dose of snowfall also helped boost  basin snow water equivalent averages up with most basins between 80% and 90% and individual sites exceeding 100%.

Wyoming Map with Snowfall Totals - Feb 21-23, 2003     

Storm Total Snowfall
Location Amount (inches)
JACKSON HOLE SKI AREA 27
GRAND TARGHEE SKI AREA 25
PINE CREEK SKI AREA east of Cokeville 25
TOGWOTEE PASS 21
DEER PARK SNOTEL NEAR SOUTH PASS 18
INDIAN PEAK SNOTEL SALT RIVER RANGE 16
SOUTH PASS 15-16
HATCHET RESORT NEAR MORAN 12-18
SALT RIVER PASS 12-15
YELLOWSTONE PARK EAST ENTRANCE 14
SHELL CREEK SNOTEL WEST BIG HORN MOUNTAINS 12-14
DOME LAKE SNOTEL BIG HORN MOUNTAINS 13
SOUTH ENTRANCE TO YELLOWSTONE 13
BEARTOOTH HIGHWAY 12
BEDFORD 3SE 12
WHITE PINE SKI AREA 12
SOUTH PASS SNOTEL 10-12
MEADOWLARK LODGE 10
CASPER MOUNTAIN 10
LAKE YELLOWSTONE 9
HYATTVILLE 6-8
MORAN 6-8
AFTON 6-8
BONDURANT 7
THERMOPOLIS 6-7
RED CANYON S OF LANDER 6-7
SWEETWATER STATION 6
13 MILES SOUTH OF SALT RIVER PASS 6
16 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BUFFALO 6
5 MILES NORTH OF JACKSON 6
CASPER 3-6
ALPINE 5-6
6 MILES EAST OF TEN SLEEP 5-6
SAGE 5-6
BUFFALO AREA 4-5
WORLAND 5
LANDER 4-5
COWLEY 4
KEMMERER 4
POWELL 4
DUBOIS AREA 1-4
BYRON 3-4
POWDER RIVER 3-4
STAR VALLEY RANCH 3-4
JACKSON 3-4
CORA 3-4
COKEVILLE 3
CODY 2-3
KAYCEE AREA 2-3
MAYOWORTH 2-3
HUDSON 2
WAMSUTTER 2
DANIEL 2
GREYBULL 2
2 MILES WEST OF CLARK 2
2 MILES EAST OF SHELL 2
POINT OF ROCKS 2
JEFFREY CITY 2
CROWHEART 1
FOSSIL BUTTE 1
RIVERTON 1
MEETEETSE <1
BIG PINEY <1

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