CHEYENNE - A winter storm that walloped southeast Wyoming this week claimed one life and left behind more than a foot of snow.

Alice Lloyd, 61, of Laramie County died Wednesday from exposure after she abandoned a stranded vehicle east of Cheyenne to seek help, officials said Thursday.

Meanwhile, regional highway traffic began to circulate after the Wyoming Highway Patrol lifted closures on Interstates 80 and 25 and all other major highways.

In Cheyenne, snowplow drivers will work 12-hour rotations through the Christmas holiday to clear record snowfall, according to the city.

Most government offices in the state capital reopened at 10 a.m. Thursday after closing Wednesday so workers could escape to their homes during the brunt of the storm.

Police eased city travel restrictions Thursday, and downtown shops worked to recoup losses after the storm cut business short on one of the final days of the holiday shopping season.

"We obviously lost business, but we won't make it up," said Pat McGee, area manager for Corral West Ranchwear stores in Cheyenne.

The lone fatal victim of the storm in Wyoming abandoned her vehicle at around 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Laramie County Sheriff's Office. Her adult daughter, Dessi O'Hare, remained in the vehicle at the intersection of county roads 143 and 223, about eight miles north of Hillsdale.

At the time, heavy snow was falling, winds were gusting to 50 mph, and the wind chill was between zero degrees and minus 5, said Mike Sowko, spokesman for the National Weather Service office in Cheyenne.

Lloyd's clothes were "not appropriate for the weather conditions," said Gerry Luce, spokesman for the sheriff's office.

A passerby discovered the stranded vehicle and used a telephone at a nearby residence to call authorities at about 6:30 p.m. Laramie County sheriff's deputies, Laramie County Road and Bridge workers and firefighters from Laramie County Fire District 6 launched a foot and vehicle search.

By the time authorities located Lloyd's body, the temperature had dropped to 16 degrees, winds were gusting to 35 mph, and the wind chill was around zero, Sowko said.

"There were times when deputies were walking in front of snowplows in ditches with limited visibility trying to located the victim," Luce said.

Laramie County sheriff's deputies searching on foot found Lloyd's body at around 11:30 p.m. She had trudged about 300 yards up a half-mile-long residential driveway - two-tenths of a mile from the stranded vehicle - before succumbing.

Total snowfall from the storm varied widely across the region.

Chugwater recorded the largest accumulation at 17 inches. Other totals included 10 inches at Burns, 4 inches at Douglas and seven-tenths of an inch at Torrington.

Cheyenne received 12.5 inches on Wednesday, the largest recorded one-day total for the month of December. The previous record was 11.6 inches on Dec. 27, 1979.

The snow's moisture content was low. Cheyenne received about three-quarters of an inch of moisture. The city was 4.5 inches behind its normal precipitation level for 2006 before the storm.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation opened I-80 at around 4:15 p.m. Thursday. The department earlier opened I-25 from Cheyenne to Colorado and Highway 287 south of Laramie and Highway 85 south of Cheyenne. The city's hotels accommodated hundreds of stranded travelers Wednesday night.

"All the road closures probably saved multiple lives," Sowko said.

Temperatures above freezing today are expected to help clear the roadways. A much weaker storm system will hit Wyoming tonight or early Saturday, producing light snow showers and little accumulation, Sowko said.

NewsTracker

* Last we knew: A storm hit southeast Wyoming Wednesday, closing highways, stranding travelers and sending workers home early.

* The latest: A Laramie County woman died as a result of the storm, and highway crews were able to open all area highways.

* What's next: A small storm system is headed into the area tonight or Saturday.

Click here for related story 'DIA shutdown hits Wyo'.

Click here for related story 'Colo. crews hustle to catch up'.

Click here for related story 'Colo. storm holds up Casper mail'.

Information:

Wyoming Roads - WYDOT

CST Weather Page

Road Cams

Yesterday's storm stories:

'Postal carriers volunteer to work Sunday'

'Red Cross opens emergency shelter'

'Pilot lands in wheat field after carburetor freezes'

'Storm closes Cheyenne government offices, interstate'

'Storm smacks southeast Wyo'

Reach capital bureau reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or at jared.miller@casperstartribune.net.