Winter Storm Draco brought heavy snow in two phases.
The first phase brought snow to the Cascades and Rockies December 17-18. The second phase of Draco hammered the Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes with heavy snow and strong winds December 19 into December 21.
Above are the snow reports in the Midwest from phase two of Draco. More than a foot of snow was reported in parts of Iowa, Wisconsin and northern Michigan. Zoom in on the map and click on the snowflake icons to view the location, snow total and time of the report.
A few specific totals from the Midwest:
Des Moines, Iowa: 12.4 inches with winds gusting in excess of 40 mphOmaha, Neb.: Up to 8.6 inches...thunder, lightning reporting on the evening of December 19.Dubuque, Iowa: 14.2 inchesRochester, Minn.: 7 inchesMadison, Wis.: 15.2 inches with winds gusting over 40 mph.Beaver Dam, Wis.: 20.1 inchesMiddleton, Wis.: 19.5 inchesNear Gaylord, Mich.: 19.6 inches
Below is a break down of the top snowfall totals and wind gusts from the first phase of Draco in the West.
Peak snowfall totals in each state:
Wyoming: North of Kemmerer (25")Oregon: Santiam Pass (20")Idaho: Near Island Park (18.1")Washington: Near Plain (28.2")Colorado: Craig (19")Montana: 19 miles south of Libby (24")California: Near Mammoth Lakes (16")
Here are the peak wind gusts recorded in each state:
Oregon: Mary's Peak (101 mph)Washington: Near Benton City on Rattlesnake Mountain (100 mph)Nevada: Near Lamoille (86 mph)Montana: Near Bynum (82 mph)Wyoming: Emkay (72 mph)California: Bird Springs Pass (71 mph)Idaho: Near Butte (63 mph)Utah: Ogden Peak (95 mph)
Crews remove piled-up snow from around the Capitol Square, December 21, 2012. A day after Draco hit Wisconsin, schools were closed.