Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Wyoming, December 9 to 11, 2024

Name: Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Wyoming, December 9 to 11, 2024
Start: 2024-12-09T06:00
End: 2024-12-11T09:00
Location: Wyoming

December 9 to 11, 2024 · NWS UNR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An upper-level system slowly crossed the region, bringing snowfall to the Wyoming Black Hills area. A series of disturbances within the trough brought periods of snowfall over a 2 to 3 day period.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 UNR wrote it up.

An upper-level system slowly crossed the region, bringing snowfall to the Wyoming Black Hills area. A series of disturbances within the trough brought periods of snowfall over a 2 to 3 day period. The highest snowfall amounts were over the higher elevations of the Wyoming Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains. Snowfall totals of 5 to 9 inches were common across the area, with localized amounts to around 12 inches. Amounts of 3 to 5 inches were noted in the Newcastle area.

What forecasters said that day

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 Rapid City, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 9, 3:58 AM MST, 2 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 9, 3:58 AM MST, 2 hours 2 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 9, 2:13 AM MST, 3 hours 47 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 9, 12:25 AM MST, 5 hours 35 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 9, 1:25 AM MST, 4 hours 35 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 9, 2:12 AM MST, 3 hours 48 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 9, 3:34 AM MST, 2 hours 26 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 9, 4:14 AM MST, 1 hour 46 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 9, 5:12 AM MST, 48 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy snow, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Wyoming Black Hills

When: December 9, 6:00 AM MST to December 11, 9:00 AM MST
Where: Wyoming Black Hills forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.215, -104.569 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Newcastle

When: December 10, 6:00 AM MST to December 11, 6:00 AM MST
Where: Newcastle forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 43.841, -104.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Wyoming in 2024 Every state in 2024 This day in weather history Warnings in Wyoming, December 2024

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1221386, 1221387.