Wyoming, 1996

Blizzard in Wyoming, January 16 to 18, 1996

January 16 to 18, 1996 · NWS CYS · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

Strong winds, snow and cold temperatures combined to create blizzard conditions over east and north Wyoming. During that time, winds gusted to as high as 55 MPH creating wind chill temperatures as low as 70 degrees below zero.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
22

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS CYS wrote it up.

Strong winds, snow and cold temperatures combined to create blizzard conditions over east and north Wyoming. During that time, winds gusted to as high as 55 MPH creating wind chill temperatures as low as 70 degrees below zero. Two to six inches of snow fell through late afternoon on the 17th. This wind and snow produced very low visibilities in blowing snow. Some roads were closed in northeast Wyoming on the 17th and schools were cancelled in some areas on the 18th.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

22 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Absaroka Mountains

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Absaroka Mountains forecast zone
Coordinates
43.760, -108.887 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, North Big Horn Basin

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
North Big Horn Basin forecast zone
Coordinates
44.524, -108.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Southwest Big Horn Basin

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Southwest Big Horn Basin forecast zone
Coordinates
43.719, -108.442 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Bighorn Mountains Southeast

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Bighorn Mountains Southeast forecast zone
Coordinates
43.635, -107.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Wind River Mountains East

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Wind River Mountains East forecast zone
Coordinates
42.904, -109.273 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Northern Big Horn Mountains

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Northern Big Horn Mountains forecast zone

Blizzard, Sheridan Foothills

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Sheridan Foothills forecast zone

Blizzard, Southern Big Horn Mountains

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Southern Big Horn Mountains forecast zone

Blizzard, Buffalo Foothills

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Buffalo Foothills forecast zone

Blizzard, South Campbell

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
South Campbell forecast zone
Coordinates
44.248, -105.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Converse

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Converse forecast zone
Coordinates
43.841, -104.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Niobrara

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Niobrara forecast zone
Coordinates
44.589, -104.570 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Southwest Carbon

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Southwest Carbon forecast zone

Blizzard, North Carbon

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
North Carbon forecast zone

Blizzard, Snowy Range

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Snowy Range forecast zone

Blizzard, North Laramie Range

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
North Laramie Range forecast zone

Blizzard, Laramie Valley

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Laramie Valley forecast zone

Blizzard, Laramie Range

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Laramie Range forecast zone

Blizzard, Platte

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Platte forecast zone

Blizzard, Goshen

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Goshen forecast zone

Blizzard, Cheyenne Foothills

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Cheyenne Foothills forecast zone

Blizzard, Pine Bluffs

When
January 16, 8:00 PM MST to January 18, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Pine Bluffs forecast zone

What these are

Blizzard
Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Wyoming in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, January 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5536509, 5536510, 5536511, 5536512, 5536513, 5536514, 5536515, 5536516, 5536517, 5536518, 5536519, 5536520, 5536521, 5536522, 5536523, 5536524, 5536525, 5536526, 5536527, 5536528, 5536529, 5536530.