Winter Storm

Winter Storm Echo Brings Widespread Western Snow (RECAP)

Winter Storm Echo dumped a swath of snow from the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada to the Great Basin, Rockies, northern Plains and Upper Midwest over a five-day span from Dec. 12-16, 2015.

While several states in the West saw a foot or more from the storm, the top reported total was an estimated 33 inches at one location in Nevada. The top directly measured total was 31.1 inches in Jefferson City, Montana.

Snow began falling in the Pacific Northwest on Saturday, Dec. 12. As winter storm warnings expanded across more and more of the West, the storm eventually reached The Weather Channel areal coverage criterion (400,000 square kilometers, or about 154,000 square miles) for naming. Winter Storm Echo was therefore named during the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, Dec. 13.

The storm exceeded expectations in the Denver area, where 7 to 14 inches of snow fell in a relatively short time Tuesday, Dec. 15. It was also Salt Lake City's largest snowstorm in nearly three years, and the heaviest two-day snowfall in Casper, Wyoming, since October 2013.

The last winter storm warning for Winter Storm Echo expired in the Arrowhead of far northeast Minnesota Wednesday evening, Dec. 16.

(NEWS: Echo Closes Roads, Schools)

Here is a breakdown of storm reports from Winter Storm Echo.

Storm Reports

Winter Storm Echo Snowfall Totals
(Selected snowfall reports for Winter Storm Echo from Dec. 12-15, 2015.)

Washington, Oregon and California:

During the weekend of Dec. 12-13, Echo dumped up to 20 inches of snow on Oregon's Mount Bachelor Ski Area, and 16 inches of snow fell near La Pine, Oregon. The remote Holden Village resort in north-central Washington reported 15.1 inches of snow.

Even elevations as low as 2,000 feet reported 6 to 8 inches both east and west of Medford, Oregon, early Sunday.

There was also significant rainfall in southwest Oregon and northwest California's lower elevations, which triggered some additional flooding. Floodwaters reportedly entered homes Sunday morning near Shady Cove, Oregon, near White City, Oregon, and near Eagle Point, Oregon.

In California's Sierra Nevada, as much as 24 inches fell at the summit of Sugar Bowl Ski Resort. In the southern Sierra Nevada, Lodgepole reported 9 inches of snow.

Nevada:

On the Nevada side of the Sierra Nevada, Mount Rose Ski Area received 20 inches of snow. Up to 24 inches of snow was recorded just northeast of Incline Village at an elevation of 6,700 feet.

An estimated 33 inches of snow fell on an automated snow sensor at Smith Creek (elevation 7,600 feet) in Elko County.

Idaho:

An estimated 26.3 inches of snow has been estimated from Echo at Atlanta summit (elevation 7,580 feet) in the Sawtooth Mountains. Two other locations have seen an estimated 20 inches of snow.

Elsewhere, McCall picked up 17 inches, Bogus Basin Ski Area saw 15 inches, and an observer just east of Pocatello measured 9 inches of snow.

Montana:

Jefferson City, south of the state capital of Helena, picked up a whopping 31.1 inches of snow as of Tuesday morning. Lost Trail Ski Resort measured 21 inches from Saturday night through Sunday night. Helena had seen up to 7.5 inches as of 9:30 a.m. MST Monday.

Utah:

Up to 22 inches of snow fell in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, with officially 9.5 inches at Salt Lake City International Airport Sunday through Tuesday. The top total in the Salt Lake Valley was 22.2 inches in Sandy as of Tuesday evening.

This is Salt Lake City's heaviest snowstorm in almost three years, since a snowstorm dumped 9.9 inches at the airport on Jan. 27-28, 2013. By contrast, last season brought the second-lowest seasonal snowfall total on record in the Utah capital, with only 15.4 inches total.

To the north of Salt Lake City, Bountiful reported 28.4 inches in the benches, the local term for areas a few hundred feet above the valley floor along the western edge of the Wasatch Mountains.

In the mountains themselves, 31 inches of snow fell at Snowbird (elevation 8,100) feet, and up to 29 inches fell on the Alta area.

Arizona:

Jacob Lake received 12 inches from Echo, while Flagstaff picked up 6.6 inches.

Amazingly, it was cold enough on December 15 to make snow at the Arizona Snowbowl, just outside Flagstaff.

This fresh snow cover sent temperatures tumbling to 15 degrees below zero the morning of December 15 at Grand Canyon Airport near Tusayan. That was the coldest reading there since a low of 23 below zero Dec. 9, 2013.

Winter Storm Echo Snowfall Reports
(Selected snowfall reports from Winter Storm Echo in the central Rockies and Plains from Dec. 14-16, 2015.)

Colorado:

Wolf Creek Ski Area in southwest Colorado came in with the state's top total of 29 inches in a 48-hour period ending just before sunrise Wednesday. A foot of snow blanketed an area near Steamboat Springs.

Tuesday, Denver International Airport reported 7.7 inches of snowfall from Winter Storm Echo. Several locations in the city limits closer to downtown reported up to 10 inches. In the foothills just west of Denver, Genesee chimed in with 14.3 inches. Drifts to 2.5 feet were observed in Loveland.

Snow fell at the rate of at least 1 inch per hour in Colorado Springs Tuesday morning.

Wyoming:

The state's snow champion in Winter Storm Echo was atop Casper Mountain, where 32 inches of snow was recorded. In the city of Casper itself, 10 to 16 inches of snow was reported. The official total of 10.4 inches in Casper was the city's heaviest two-day snowfall total since 12.5 inches fell during the final two days of Winter Storm Atlas, which brought 16.2 inches to Casper on Oct. 3-5, 2013.

In northwest Wyoming, Jackson reported up to 10.5 inches of snow, while 5 inches of snow piled up to the east in Cody.

Farther south, Centennial checked in with 13 inches Tuesday afternoon. Cheyenne officially picked up 7.3 inches of snow.

Nebraska:

Snow quickly piled up in the Panhandle during the day Tuesday. By early evening, Alliance had 10 inches of snow, while Scottsbluff had 8 inches.

Later in the evening Chadron checked in with a foot of snow. Four other locations later matched that mark, but none exceeded it.

South Dakota:

Snow arrived in the Mount Rushmore State Tuesday, with up to 18 inches of snow as of late Wednesday morning in typically snowy Black Hills.

The National Weather Service reported 5.9 inches of snowfall at its office near downtown Rapid City. The office reported 2-foot drifts and blowing snow during the height of the storm.

North Dakota:

Snow spread into all but the western third of the state late Tuesday into Wednesday.

The top total in the state as of Wednesday afternoon was 9 inches in Michigan City.

Jamestown picked up 5 inches of snow as of early Wednesday morning, while 3 to 4 inches accumulated in both Fargo and Grand Forks by sunrise. Bismarck picked up 5.1 inches of snow through early Wednesday.

As of this writing, the National Weather Service had not released updated totals for those North Dakota locations through Wednesday evening.

Minnesota:

A slushy, wet inch of snow managed to accumulate at the National Weather Service forecast office in Chanhassen before changing to rain and ending early Wednesday.

Up to 5 inches had been measured in the Duluth area by late Wednesday morning.

The top total as of Wednesday evening was 12 inches at Golden Eagle Lodge in extreme northeast Minnesota, about 20 miles north of Grand Marais. Snow was still falling at 8 p.m., when that report was received by the National Weather Service office in Duluth.