Four people died on Wyoming highways this weekend, a dispatcher for the Wyoming Highway Patrol said Sunday.

"We had a terrible day yesterday," said the dispatcher, who declined to give her name.

Another 56 accidents statewide resulted in injuries, she said.

One fatal accident occurred in Natrona County on Sunday, and dispatchers made calls to the Wyoming Medical Center and law enforcement to respond to wind- and ice-caused multiple accidents with injuries on roads and highways. "We're having crash after crash out here," a law enforcement official said to a dispatcher.

These four fatal accidents bring the total fatalities this year to 137, compared to 177 this time in 2006.

The first reported fatal accident occurred near Gillette at 1:45 p.m. Friday, the Wyoming Highway Patrol dispatcher said.

Bradley Smith, 28, of Joplin, Mo., was driving a 2005 Honda CRV when he exited Interstate 90, entered the Wyodak mine and drove off a cliff, she said.

The second fatal accident occurred at 3:29 a.m. Saturday nine miles east of Gillette, the dispatcher said.

Kerry Esco, also 28, of Naples, Fla., was driving a 2002 Chevy pickup on Wyoming Highway 51 when he overcorrected, crossed lanes and slid broadside in a ditch, she said.

Road conditions for both these accidents were dry and clear.

But a complex winter storm system moved into Wyoming with the most precipitation in the south and east central part of the state. Snowfall mostly ranged from 2 inches to 4 inches, with South Pass in Fremont County receiving up to 7 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Riverton.

Likewise, Cheyenne was pelted with freezing rain and received about 2 inches of snow. Some areas of Carbon and Albany counties received up to 18 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service in Cheyenne.

Temperatures early Sunday ranged from 1 in Casper to minus 17 in Arapahoe to minus 21 in Ten Sleep.

Weather was a factor in the third reported fatal accident when an as yet unidentified man driving a Ford pickup died in a one-vehicle rollover on U.S. Highway 30 - Lincolnway Boulevard - in Cheyenne because of ice on the road.

The fourth fatal accident happened at 2:40 p.m. Sunday when an unidentified victim died in a one-vehicle rollover on Wyoming Highway 220 southwest of Casper, she said.

The dispatcher had no further information on the name, sex or age of the victim.

The dispatcher could not release information whether alcohol or other substances were factors in these fatal accidents. The accidents are under investigation.

The weekend weather caused harsh conditions on many roads.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Wyoming Department of Transportation deemed most of the major roads to be slick, slick in spots, covered in black ice, or having several bad conditions at the same time. Air conditions including strong winds, snow blowing snow. The few areas with clear roads included the Star Valley, southeast of Lyman, and east of Cody.

During the next several days, precipitation will cease and temperatures will rise throughout the state to the 40s and 50s.

"The heat (Monday) ought to take care of the road conditions," said Jim House of the National Weather Service in Cheyenne.

On the other hand, the western mountains will receive between 6 inches to a foot of snow, and between 3 inches and 6 inches in the valleys, said meteorologist Art Meunier of the National Weather Service in Riverton.

But, oh the wind.

Some areas of the state saw erratic conditions, with Bordeaux between Chugwater and Wheatland witnessing gusts up to 71 mph then dropping to 7 mph within a couple of hours on Sunday, House said.

Elsewhere, and especially in Casper, winds will blow at a sustained 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph, Meunier said.

Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0592, or at Tom.Morton@trib.com.