Wyoming winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 25 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 7,057 winter storm records in Wyoming from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 244 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the October 10, 2008 winter storm in Big Horn County and Park County: 4 deaths and 4 injuries across 3 records. Wyoming ranks 19th of 51 states and territories by count and 31st of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Wyoming, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 7,0571996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 244average
- Deaths
- 30225 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $29Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2017548 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are winter storm records common in Wyoming?
Wyoming averages about 244 winter storm records a year since 2000, 19th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2017 (548). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Wyoming records 727 winter storm records since 1996, 31st of 50 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Wyoming have the most winter storm records?
Per square mile, Albany County leads Wyoming: 508 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 118.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Carbon County has the most winter storm records (1,905 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is winter storm season in Wyoming?
Wyoming's winter storm records by month. The busiest month is February (1,153 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1,018 · Feb 1,153 · Mar 1,042 · Apr 923 · May 343 · Jun 19 · Jul 0 · Aug 1 · Sep 86 · Oct 616 · Nov 735 · Dec 1,121 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Wyoming?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-10-10 | Winter StormBig Horn County and Park County · forecast zone North Big Horn Basin One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A large low pressure system tracked from the southern Great Basin across Wyoming bringing heavy snowfall to western and central Wyoming. The slow moving storm pumped abundant moisture north into the state ahead of the main area of low pressure producing heavy snow. Snowfall of 6 to 12 inches occurred at most lower ... | 4 | 4 | – | |
| 2026-02-18 | Winter WeatherUinta County · forecast zone Uinta Wyoming Highway Patrol in addition to other law enforcement and first responders reported that a multi-vehicle accident occurred on I-80 near Evanston at mile marker 18 at approximately 3:00 PM 2/18/26. The crashes are said to have happened more or less simultaneously, involving 32 vehicles (20 semi trucks, 12 ... | 2 | 24 | $4.5M | |
| 2020-10-22 | Winter WeatherAlbany County and Carbon County · forecast zone Shirley Basin One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Wyoming Highway Patrol investigated a crash between a dump truck and pickup truck along Interstate 25 west five miles west of Douglas around milepost 145. Around 8:05 PM MDT, a 66-year old male was outside of his pickup truck on the shoulder after sliding off the interstate when a dump truck lost control on the ice ... | 2 | 4 | – | |
| 2009-12-25 | Winter StormAlbany County · forecast zone Laramie Valley One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. An upper level disturbance on the west coast moved southward over the southern Rockies and then out onto the southern plains from approximately December 21st through the 26th. This system affected the Cheyenne CWA in two waves. The first occurred December 22 and 23rd and brought light snow with strong winds that ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2003-10-29 | Winter StormJohnson County · forecast zone Southeast Johnson County A strong autumn snowstorm brought widespread heavy snow to much of western and central Wyoming. Some portions of this region received anywhere from 1 to 3 feet of snow. The most concentrated area of heavy snow was observed from the southern Wind River Mountains, including Lander, east to Riverton to Casper and Casper ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-01-28 | Winter StormAlbany County and Carbon County · forecast zone North Snowy Range Foothills Interstate 80 between Laramie and Rawlins was closed for an extended period of time due to winter conditions and a large scale multi-vehicle accident. A total of 44 cars and trucks were involved with the pileups at mile markers 261 and 266. CoCoRaHS observer near Elk Mountain reported a multiday snowfall total over 25 ... | 1 | 40 | – | |
| 1997-12-08 | Winter StormAlbany County and Laramie County · forecast zone Laramie Range One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Winter storm conditions caused by fresh snow and strong winds contributed to 76 accidents from 2200 12/08 to 1700 12/10 in Laramie and Albany counties. 17 of the accidents involved injuries, the exact number of which are not known. 21 passengers on a bus were injured 12/10 when the bus rear-ended an eastbound ... | 1 | 36 | $184K | |
| 1997-10-12 | Winter StormCarbon County · forecast zone North Carbon One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A Utah man died of head injuries after his pickup truck slid on black ice on a bridge and rolled. The accident occurred on Interstate 80 at the Arlington interchange. An accident near Laramie involving a bus injured at least 30 people. Icy conditions created a 20-mile long traffic backup on westbound Interstate 80 ... | 1 | 30 | $46K | |
| 1999-12-03 | Winter StormAlbany County · forecast zone Laramie Valley One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Icy roads resulted in a couple of accidents near Laramie, WY, with one fatality occurring in a rollover on Interstate 80 about 6 miles west of Laramie, WY. | 1 | 4 | $80K | |
| 2011-12-21 | Winter WeatherFremont County · forecast zone Wind River Basin A 48-year-old woman was killed when her light truck rolled four times north of Shoshoni near milepost 105.6 on U.S. Highway 20. Several other accidents were reported including a three car pileup that sent three people to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. | 1 | 3 | $33K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest winter storm records in Wyoming
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-04-04 | BlizzardConverse County · forecast zone Converse | 0 | 0 | $9.2M | |
| 2026-02-18 | Winter WeatherUinta County · forecast zone Uinta | 2 | 24 | $4.5M | |
| 2013-10-03 | Winter StormNatrona County · forecast zone Natrona County Lower Elevations | 0 | 0 | $3.8M | |
| 1998-10-15 | Winter StormPark County and Teton County · forecast zone Yellowstone National Park Mt Id / W Park / N Teton | 0 | 0 | $1.8M | |
| 2000-11-01 | BlizzardCrook County and Weston County · forecast zone Wyoming Black Hills One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | |
| 2013-10-03 | BlizzardCrook County and Weston County · forecast zone Wyoming Black Hills | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | |
| 2013-09-26 | Winter StormFremont County · forecast zone Wind River Basin One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $950K | |
| 2009-03-23 | BlizzardCampbell County · forecast zone Northern Campbell One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $688K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm records becoming more frequent in Wyoming?
Wyoming's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Wyoming | United States | Wyoming's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 629 | 32,893 | 1.9% |
| 2000s | 1,241 | 88,805 | 1.4% |
| 2010s | 3,691 | 103,626 | 3.6% |
| 2020-26 | 1,496 | 62,015 | 2.4% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Wyoming
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-21 | Winter WeatherCarbon County · forecast zone Central Carbon County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-18 | Winter StormNatrona County · forecast zone Natrona County Lower Elevations | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-18 | BlizzardAlbany County and Carbon County · forecast zone North Snowy Range Foothills | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-18 | Heavy SnowCarbon County · forecast zone Central Carbon County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-17 | Winter StormSweetwater County · forecast zone East Sweetwater County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-17 | Winter StormFremont County · forecast zone Lander Foothills | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-17 | Winter StormNatrona County · forecast zone Casper Mountain | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-17 | Winter StormFremont County and 2 more · forecast zone Green Mountains & Rattlesnake Range | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-17 | Winter StormFremont County and Sublette County · forecast zone Wind River Mountains East | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-17 | Heavy SnowAlbany County and Carbon County · forecast zone North Snowy Range Foothills | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-17 | Heavy SnowAlbany County and Laramie County · forecast zone South Laramie Range | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-17 | Heavy SnowAlbany County and Carbon County · forecast zone Snowy Range | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for winter storm records in Wyoming
FEMA has declared 3 disasters in Wyoming for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 3 were major disasters, the latest on March 21, 2017.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-03-21 | DR-4306 | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds | 1 |
| 2000-12-13 | DR-1351 | Severe Winter Storm | 4 |
| 1999-02-17 | DR-1268 | Wy - Winter Storm 10/5/98 | 2 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Albany County: the county's whole recordThe Wyoming county with the most winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in WyomingTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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