A winter storm produced heavy snow over the Snowy Range and nearby areas.
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.
The episode as NWS CYS wrote it up.
A winter storm produced heavy snow over the Snowy Range and nearby areas.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Cheyenne, WY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 16, 10:07 AM MST, 1 hour 53 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
1007 AM MST SAT DEC 16 2006
.UPDATE...CLOUD SHIELD ASSOCIATED WITH THE STORM IS SLOWER THAN
EXPECTED...SO MADE MORNING SKIES PARTLY CLOUDY IN THE EAST AND
DELAYED PRECIP ONSET EAST OF LARAMIE RANGE. ELSEWHERE...SNOW IS
FALLING...ESPECIALLY KLAR WESTWARD...BUT THIS ACTIVITY WILL TAKE
A BREATHER FOR THE EARLY AFTERNOON AS MIXING DRIES THE LOWER
ATMOSPHERE AHEAD OF THE MAIN ENERGY THAT IS STILL OVER CENTRAL
UTAH...THUS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWERED POPS UNTIL 00Z THIS EVENING.
WITH THE SMOOTH BAROCLINIC LEAF HEADED TOWARDS WYOMING IT APPEARS
THE WINTER HIGHLIGHTS ARE ON TRACK.
SOWKO
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... (ISSUED 445 AM MST SAT DEC 16 2006)
SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY. LARGE CHANGES IN WEATHER FOR
TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY. A STRONG WINTER STORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHEAST
WYOMING THROUGH THE WEEKEND. LATEST RADAR REFLECTIVITY AND
OBSERVATIONS SHOWS SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS FAR WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE
CWA IN CARBON COUNTY. THESE SHOWERS WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD AS MOVE
EASTWARD ACROSS WYOMING TODAY. PREVIOUS SHIFT UPGRADED A PORTION OF
THE WINTER STORM WATCH TO WINTER STORM WARNING ACROSS CARBON AND
CONVERSE COUNTIES...WHICH LOOKS REALLY GOOD. LATEST MODELS SHOW
STRONG DECENT FRONTOGENESIS ACROSS THIS AREA ALONG WITH GOOD UPPER
LEVEL JET DYNAMICS. STRONGEST TIME PERIOD OF FRONTOGENESIS APPEARS
TO BE OVERNIGHT TONIGHT...WITH STRONG DIVQ PARTIALLY COLOCATED.
ALTHOUGH GFS IS TYPICALLY UNDERDONE IN SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...BOTH THE
GFS AND NAM SHOW THE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WITHIN THE
SAME REGION OF THE STRONG FRONTOGENESIS ACROSS CARBON AND CONVERSE
COUNTIES. HPC TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS SHOW NEARLY 20 INCHES FOR
THE SNOWY RANGE AND NORTHERN LARAMIE MOUNTAINS...WITH AROUND 10
INCHES FOR THE SOUTHERN LARAMIE RANGE. THUS THERE WAS NO NEED TO
MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE WINTER STORM WARNING. EXPECTING AMOUNTS OF 8
TO 13 INCHES OF SNOW IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS WITH 13 TO 20 INCHES IN
THE MOUNTAINS MENTIONED ABOVE. AS FOR THE REMAINING WINTER STORM
WATCH ACROSS THE AREA...HAVE DECIDED TO UPGRADE ALL OF THE AREAS
MENTIONED TO A SNOW ADVISORY WITH EXCEPTION OF WYZ69 AND 70 WHICH
INCLUDE CHEYENNE AND PINE BLUFFS. ALTHOUGH CHEYENNE AND PINE BLUFFS
WILL GET SNOW...EXPECT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS TO BE JUST BELOW
CRITERIA. EARLY IN THE PERIOD WHEN THERE IS DECENT LIFT FOR THE
DENDRITIC SNOW GROWTH AREA...THERE APPEARS TO BE A LACK OF
SUFFICIENT MOISTURE IN BOTH THE GFS AND NAM FOR THIS REGION. NOW
WYZ69 WAS A TOUGH DEBATE...WHICH INCLUDES CHEYENNE SINCE IT WILL BE
NEAR ADVISORY CRITERIA. THIS WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED CLOSELY THROUGH
THE DAY AND MAY NEED TO BE ADDED LATER. AS FOR THE NEBRASKA
PANHANDLE...SOME PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE WILL RECEIVE 3
TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW WHILE THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE PANHANDLE
WILL RECEIVE UP TO 2 INCHES. AS FOR TEMPERATURES...IT WILL START OUT
WARM ACROSS FAR SOUTHEAST WYOMING AND POTENTIALLY BE THE HIGH
TEMPERATURES FOR THE DAY. TEMPERATURES WILL FALL THROUGH THE MORNING
AS SNOW SHOWERS INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA. LOWS TONIGHT WILL BE IN
THE TEENS WITH SINGLE DIGITS IN THE MOUNTAINS. FINALLY TEMPERATURES
FOR SUNDAY WILL BE MUCH COLDER THAT PAST SEVERAL DAYS WITH HIGH
BARELY REACHING MID 20S ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA AND
WESTERN PORTIONS REMAINING IN THE TEENS.
LONG TERM...SUN NIGHT THRU FRIDAY...EFFECTS OF SYSTEM WANING SUNDAY
EVENING AS UPSLOPE AND DYNAMICS SINK SOUTH AND LOWER LEVELS DRY.
DRY AND COOL MONDAY INTO TUESDAY WITH UPPER LOW WANDERING OVER THE
FAR SW CONUS WHILE SFC HI SLOWLY SHIFTS INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS.
LATEST MODEL RUNS IN BETTER AGREEMENT IN LIFTING SW UPPER LOW NE
ACROSS COLORADO INTO THE CENTRAL HI PLAINS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDS AS
OPPOSED TO EARLIER RUNS DEPICTING A MORE EASTERLY TRACK. THUS HAVE
INTRODUCED LOW POPS FOR LATER TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDS AND THESE WILL
PROBABLY NEED TO BE INCREASED IF FUTURE RUNS REMAIN SIMILAR. SYSTEM
SHOULD MOVE OUT OF REGION EARLY THURSDAY LEAVING BREEZY CONDITIONS
IN ITS WAKE. SEASONABLE CONDITIONS TO CLOSE OUT THE WEEK.
AVIATION...CIGS AND VSBYS HAVE LOWERED IN SNOW ACROSS FAR WESTERN
PORTION OF THE CWA...WHICH INCLUDES TWB RTE 292. GRADUAL DECREASE IN
CIGS AND VSBYS DUE TO SNOW SHOWERS WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE REST RTES
THROUGH THE DAY AND REMAIN THROUGH SUNDAY.
&&
.CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WY...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 PM SUNDAY FOR WYZ059-WYZ061-WYZ062-
WYZ063-WYZ064.
SNOW ADVISORY FROM 6 PM SATURDAY TO 5 PM SUNDAY FOR WYZ060-
WYZ065-WYZ066-WYZ067-WYZ068.
NE...NONE.
&&
SHORT TERM...GOERING
LONG TERM....EMANUELHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 425 AM MST SAT DEC 16 2006 WYZ059-061>064-171230- CONVERSE-SOUTHWEST CARBON-NORTH CARBON-SNOWY RANGE- NORTH LARAMIE RANGE- 425 AM MST SAT DEC 16 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE OVER THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT WITH SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS. VISIBILITIES WILL BE REDUCED WITH TRAVELING CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO DETERIORATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE WINTER STORM WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 5 PM SUNDAY WITH SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED. THE SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL SUNDAY BUT SHOULD BEGIN TAPERING OFF SUNDAY AFTERNOON THEN END SUNDAY NIGHT. DIFFICULT TRAVELING CONDITIONS ARE STILL LIKELY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. && THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC...AND CLIMATE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHEYENNE WYZ060-065>068-171230- NIOBRARA-LARAMIE VALLEY-LARAMIE RANGE-PLATTE-GOSHEN- 425 AM MST SAT DEC 16 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A SNOW ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THROUGH TONIGHT. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE OVER THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. VISIBILITIES WILL BE REDUCED WITH TRAVELING CONDITIONS DETERIORATING THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE SNOW ADVISORY CONTINUES UNTIL 5 PM SUNDAY. LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL SUNDAY BUT SHOULD BEGIN TAPERING OFF SUNDAY AFTERNOON THEN END SUNDAY NIGHT. DIFFICULT TRAVELING CONDITIONS ARE STILL LIKELY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. && THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC...AND CLIMATE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHEYENNE NEZ001>003-019>021-054-055-WYZ069-070-171230- SIOUX-DAWES-BOX BUTTE-SCOTTS BLUFF-BANNER-MORRILL-KIMBALL- CHEYENNE-CHEYENNE FOOTHILLS-PINE BLUFFS- 425 AM MST SAT DEC 16 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE AND SOUTHEAST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AREAS OF MAINLY LIGHT SNOW ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA TODAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. SOME ACCUMULATIONS ARE LIKELY OVERNIGHT WITH TRAVELING CONDITIONS BECOMING MORE DIFFICULT...ESPECIALLY FROM THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE PANHANDLE INTO EXTREME SOUTHEAST WYOMING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE SUNDAY BUT IS EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. && THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC...AND CLIMATE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHEYENNE
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow fell over the Snowy Range, with area SnoTel sites recording from 11 to 15 inches of snowfall during the period.
Reports of up to 12 inches of snow in Rawlins, WY.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, December 2006
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: 6277, 6279.