By Ellen Fike, Cowboy State
Many Wyoming residents woke up Wednesday to discover, to either their delight or horror, that snow had fallen overnight.
Thankfully, it wasn’t nearly as bad the blizzard that blanketed much of the state last month, with only a few inches falling across the state over the last 24 hours.
Wyoming weatherman Don Day confirmed this in his Wednesday morning forecast, saying there were really no good days ahead.
“Spring is on spring breaks, folks,” he said. “This is a long stretch of cold and occasionally damp weather. We’re going to have off and on snow, rain, fog through this region through Friday.”
According to the National Weather Service, the most snowfall was seen in the southern portion of the state, with around 3-4 inches having fallen.
However, much of Interstate 80 from Cheyenne to Rock Springs was closed due to the weather conditions, but was expected to open sometime Wednesday afternoon.
Some other local highways, especially in the Laramie and Rawlins area, were closed due to the winter weather conditions.
However, the cold temperatures and snow weren’t only expected for Wednesday.
According to the NWS in Cheyenne, winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings were in effect for much of the area through Friday morning.
Snow would continue to impact the region in multiple waves throughout the next 48 hours, with the worst conditions happening through the nighttime and early morning hours.
Anywhere from three to 10 inches of snow are expected to fall in the lower elevations, with the Snowy Range expected to see 1-2 feet in snow.
In the Arlington and Elk Mountain areas, near blizzard conditions are possible.
“Bottom line: If you have travel plans across the region from now through the remainder of the work week, expect minor to moderate travel impacts due to icy, snow packed roads and low visibilities,” the NWS said. “The most severe conditions will be found along I-80 near Arlington and the Summit area between Laramie and Cheyenne.”
Day added there will be a “modest” break over the weekend from the cold weather before it returns again Monday.
“This cold front, I think, is going to be worse than what we’re experiencing this week,” Day said. “I’ve got no good news for you right now.”
