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March Roars in...Like January...Across Wyoming

March 10, 2003 -  A strong westerly flow and abundant Pacific moisture, a weather pattern more characteristic of January,  brought heavy snow to the mountains of western Wyoming from March 5^th through the morning of March 7^th.  Also, a series of upper level disturbances aided in the heavy snowfall.  In addition, strong winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow, causing blizzard conditions in the Jackson Valley on the morning of March 6^th. Also, blowing and drifting snow and southwest winds of 30 to 40 mph resulted in US 89 being impassable between Moose and Moran Junction on March 5^th.  On the morning of March 6th, snow drifts of 3 to 4 feet north of Afton stranded several motorists.  Later that evening (around 11 PM),  the summit of Rendezvous Peak at the Jackson Hole Ski Resort reported a wind gust of 93 mph.   The summit also clocked a wind gust of 84 mph on March 7^th around midnight.

The Arctic express made a return to northern Wyoming on the night of March 5^th and March 6^th . An Arctic cold front moved south across the area, then hit the brakes across central Wyoming, near a Casper to Thermopolis to Cody line. High temperatures across eastern Park, Big Horn, Washakie and Johnson counties from March 6^th through March 8^th ranged from zero to 10 above and lows were zero to 10 below. These temperatures are much below normal for early March. In addition, some localized heavy snow occurred around Cody, to areas north of Cody on March 6^th.

The additional snowfall also boosted  basin snow water equivalent averages up with most basins across the north and central between 90% and 100% and individual sites exceeding 100%.

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