1949: The Great Blizzard

Page by Bob Leathers with contributions from Mike Moffitt

The state of Wyoming suffered significantly during the great blizzard of 1949. It was without a doubt the most memorable storm to occur in the town of Hanna. It wasn't so much the amount of snow that fell. It was the wind that blew constantly up to 80 miles per hour with no let up resulting in huge drifts of snow. The temperatures remained below zero most of the time. Some drifts were reported up to 40 feet deep, stretching for hundreds of feet. Some buildings were reported entirely covered with snow. At a minimum, drifts reached the roofs of houses and residents had to tunnel out of their houses. Train traffic was entirely stopped. The railroad tracks and earth cuts were filled with snow, making train movement impossible. Roads were closed. Large equipment, including bulldozers, was required to move the huge amount of snow to allow traffic flow.

The most significant blizzard in Wyoming history in terms of total human impact occurred from January 2, 1949 to February 20, 1949. Snowfall in parts of eastern and southeastern Wyoming measured up to 30 inches, with drifts 20 to 30 feet high. Within 24 hours of the storm all bus, rail and air traffic was halted. There were thousands of stranded motorists and rail passengers. Thirty-three hundred miles of state highway lay in the storm area. Seventeen people perished, along with 55,000 head of cattle and more than 105,000 sheep. That was an estimated loss of 15 percent of the state's cattle. Seventeen people lost their lives during the storm, the greatest loss of life documented for a winter storm. Total economic loss is estimated at more than $9 million. (History of Wyoming.gov. Chapter 19 Winter Storm and Blizzard)

Hanna, Tipperary, 1949

BLIZZARD OF 49, HANNA, TIPPERARY (PICTURE FROM MIKE MOFFITT, JUNE 2014)

1949 BLIZZARD, HANNA, TIPPERARY (JAMES CLEGG COLLECTION, HANNA BASIN MUSEUM)

1949 Blizzard
Union Pacific Railroad at Hadsell, Wyoming. Hadsell is located west of Rawlins.
Images from James Clegg Collection, Hanna Basin Museum

Click on the button to play the video.

1949 Blizzard
Rawlins, Wyoming
Images from James Clegg Collection, Hanna Basin Museum

Click on the button to play the video.

Links

For additional information on the 1949 Blizzard click on the links below.

Wyoming, 1949 Winter Storm and Blizzard

Nebraska - 1949 Blizzard

Sources

History of Wyoming.gov. Chapter 19 Winter Storm and Blizzard
James Clegg Photo Collection, Hanna Basin Museum, February 1, 2015.
Mike Moffitt, Tipperary Photos, Gillette, WY, June 2014.
Page by Bob Leathers February 1, 2015