Late Season Snowstorm Affecting Southeast WY...with a Difficult Forecast
A slow-moving, late-season storm system is currently trekking through the
Rockies . It will bring rain, snow, and winds to
Southeast Wyoming . The
Nebraska Panhandle will see occasionally heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms through the event.
Moisture feeding into this low pressure system is very plentiful because the low is wrapping up Gulf of Mexico moisture and spinning it into the
Rockies . The tricky part is forecasting the snow level with this late-season storm. As of Friday night, the snow level was around 7500 feet, and it should descend to 6500 feet by midday Saturday as cold air filters in from
Idaho . The snow level and corresponding surface air temperature will make all the difference in determining snow totals.
Taking into account the latest weather data, the National Weather Service in Cheyenne has issued a winter storm warning for the Laramie Ranges and for the
Snowy
Range . Snow will continue, off and on, through Saturday evening. The snow will end in the Southern Laramie Range first, sometime Saturday afternoon...then gradually cease across the
Northern
Laramie
Range and
Snowy
Range by late evening Saturday. When all is said and done, those areas could see 8 to 12 inches above 6500 feet. Some locally higher amounts are not out of the question. Areas below 6500 feet will see only an inch snow, but with plenty of rain.
The other area of concern is the lower elevations of Albany and
Carbon
Counties , including the cities of Rawlins and
Laramie . The snow level will be precariously close to the elevations of those cities. However, it appears that they will see a few inches of snow out of this storm, but again with pleanty of rain.
The storm will gradually move east by Sunday bringing the precipitation with it. Temperatures will be cool in its wake...with temperatures being several degrees below normal through early next week.
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