Wyoming’s weatherman Don Day is predicting a massive snowstorm to hit Wyoming over the weekend, with the Interstate 25 corridor predicted to see the most snow.
Computer models, he said, are “all over the place” in predicting widely differing snow amounts but one thing is certain: snow is coming.
“The storm is going to happen. Our confidence level is very high. All of the ingredients are there,” Day told Cowboy State Daily.
The amount of snow and the exact locations are still in play but Day said the Centennial area, the Laramie summit and the foothills of Wheatland and Douglas could see the largest amounts, mentioning that 2 to 5 feet of snow is possible.
He said Cheyenne, Wheatland, Torrington, Casper, and Lusk could all receive between 12 and 24 inches of snow, with higher amounts certainly a possibility.
“Our computer modeling is showing tremendous amounts of moisture with this storm,” he said. “Some models are showing 3 to 6 inches of water content. If you convert that to snow, that is a tremendous amount of snowfall.”
Most areas of the state, he said, will be affected by the snowstorm, and he specifically mentioned Rock Springs, Green River, Rawlins, Lander, and Riverton as some of the areas that will be hardest hit.
He said the Jackson area, Star Valley, Pinedale, and the Cody area will miss the storm completely.
As for the timing, Day said the peak of the storm will occur on Saturday and continue on until Sunday morning.
What everybody wants to know now, however, is how much snow will fall and exactly where.
Patience, he said. By Friday morning, he’ll know much more.
“Now that the storm has moved inland to the coast, we can start measuring it with weather balloons and other sensors,” he said. “By Friday morning, we’ll have a better idea about the amounts to expect and the exact track of the storm.”
