An upper level disturbance produced a small band of light snow mainly between northern Tom Green County, Sweetwater and Abilene. Snowfall amounts were light and there were some travel impacts.
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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 SJT wrote it up.
An upper level disturbance produced a small band of light snow mainly between northern Tom Green County, Sweetwater and Abilene. Snowfall amounts were light and there were some travel impacts. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, bridges and overpasses in this area became snow covered. The heaviest snow fell between Roscoe and Sweetwater, resulting in several wrecks.
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 San Angelo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 7, 11:46 PM CST, 4 hours 44 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service SAN ANGELO TX 1146 PM CST Wed Dec 7 2016 .AVIATION... /06Z TAFS/ Very challenging flight weather will continue for the next 12 hours. As temperatures continue to decrease tonight, some terminals may receive a light mix of winter precipitation, in the form of sleet or snow; however, expect no accumulations. By 18Z tomorrow, VFR conditions will dominate. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 623 PM CST Wed Dec 7 2016/ AVIATION... /00Z TAFS/ Look for very challenging flight weather for at least the next 18 hours. A strong cold will move south across West Central Texas tonight. This front will bring gusty winds from the north. Also, this front may produce very light sleet or snow, with little if any accumulations. As the front moves into south Texas tomorrow, look for winds from the north to diminish and VFR conditions to return. PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 353 PM CST Wed Dec 7 2016/ SHORT TERM... (Tonight and Thursday) .Patchy ice possible on bridges and overpasses by Thursday morning as a strong arctic front and light precipitation move into the area... Tricky forecast for tonight and tomorrow with a mix of precipitation possible. An arctic front is poised to plunge southward early this evening. Temperatures are already at or below freezing in the Panhandle. Expect the front to move quickly southward after sunset...clearing the area before midnight. winds behind the front will gust to 25 mph at times. Temperatures will quickly drop and fall to around freezing before sunrise. At the same time, a weak shortwave trough will move across the area with light precipitation developing after midnight. Best area to see precipitation will be in a band between I-10 and I- 20...mainly over the Concho Valley. Precipitation will likely begins liquid, with light freezing rain or freezing drizzle overnight. as temperatures continue to fall...will see light snow and light ice pellets mix in. With the ground temperatures and most road surfaces still rather warm...we are not expecting much accumulation of ice or snow. May see up to half an inch on grassy surfaces in the western Concho Valley, with lighter amounts east. However...as temperatures stay below freezing through the morning, some light accumulation of ice may develop on bridges, overpasses, and elevated surfaces. Expect the precipitation to quickly end in the afternoon, but cold temperatures will remain. LONG TERM... (Thursday night through Wednesday) Cold temperatures are forecast Friday morning across West Central Texas. Surface high pressure will nose into the area, with winds becoming light. The only caveat is whether cloud cover will clear out across the southern and western counties. The current forecast reflects clouds clearing across most of the forecast area between 12 AM and 6 AM, with overnight low temperatures in the low to mid 20s. Depending on timing an extent of the decreasing cloud cover, these temperatures may need to be decreased or increased by a few degrees. Partly cloudy skies are forecast on Friday, with high temperatures rebounding into the low to mid 40s. A steady warm up will then ensue through the weekend, with highs on Saturday back into the mid to upper 50s and highs on Sunday in the 60s. The next upper level trough will swing across the Plains Sunday night, sending a cold front through West Central Texas early Monday morning. Cooler temperatures and brisk north winds are forecast Monday, with highs mainly in the 50s and overnight lows in the mid 30s to low 40s. Warmer temperatures are forecast on Tuesday, with highs back into the 60s. The ECMWF continues to indicate the next Arctic airmass diving down the Plains on Tuesday, then pushing through West Central Texas early Wednesday. The GFS keeps the bulk of this cold airmass well north of the area. For now, temperatures were trended down for the middle of next week, but may need to be brought down further, if confidence increases in the ECMWF solution. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Abilene 27 34 21 43 / 20 20 0 0 San Angelo 29 34 22 45 / 30 40 0 0 Junction 33 36 24 46 / 20 20 5 0 Brownwood 29 35 22 43 / 20 30 5 0 Sweetwater 25 32 23 42 / 20 20 0 0 Ozona 30 34 23 44 / 20 30 0 0 && .SJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 300 PM CST WED DEC 7 2016 TXZ049-054-064>066-071>073-076>078-098-099-113-114-127-128-139- 140-154-155-168>170-082100- FISHER-NOLAN-STERLING-COKE-RUNNELS-IRION-TOM GREEN-CONCHO- CROCKETT-SCHLEICHER-SUTTON-HASKELL-THROCKMORTON-JONES-SHACKELFORD- TAYLOR-CALLAHAN-COLEMAN-BROWN-MCCULLOCH-SAN SABA-MENARD-KIMBLE- MASON- 300 PM CST WED DEC 7 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AN ARCTIC FRONT TONIGHT WILL BRING THE COLDEST CONDITIONS SO FAR THIS WINTER. HIGHS ON THURSDAY WILL REMAIN IN THE LOWER TO MID 30S...WITH WIND CHILLS IN THE 20S. IN ADDITION TO THE COLD...THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW ...LIGHT FREEZING RAIN...OR LIGHT SLEET...STARTING LATE TONIGHT AFTER MIDNIGHT AND CONTINUING THURSDAY MORNING...SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20. IF SNOW DOES DEVELOP...VERY LIGHT ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE ON GRASSY SURFACES. WITH WARM ROAD SURFACES...MOST ROAD CONDITIONS SHOULD NOT BE AFFECTED FOR MOST AREAS. A FEW SLICK SPOTS MAY DEVELOP ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. VISIBILITY MAY ALSO BE REDUCED DUE TO DRIZZLE AND POSSIBLY LIGHT SNOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY PRECIPITATION SHOULD END BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON...BUT CLEARING CONDITIONS WILL LEAD TO VERY COLD TEMPERATURES BY FRIDAY MORNING. LOWS SHOULD DROP INTO THE 20S...WITH TEENS IN RURAL AND LOW-LYING AREAS. BE SURE TO PROTECT PIPES...PETS...AND VULNERABLE LIVESTOCK FROM THE INTENSE COLD. ANOTHER PERIOD OF VERY COLD WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
About half an inch of snow was reported 10 miles southwest of Robert Lee or 11 miles northeast of Water Valley at 530 AM.
ASOS reported snow between 630 AM and 910 AM CST. A light dusting of snow was observed across Abilene with only minor impacts to traffic.
Emergency manager reported about an inch of snow in the Sweetwater area. Several wrecks were reported on Interstate 20 between Roscoe and Sweetwater.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, December 2016
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: 670001, 670000, 669966.