The Beartooth Highway closed earlier this week in anticipation of a snowstorm at the summit, and it’s a good thing it did.
Between Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning, about 5 inches of snow fell along the 68-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 212, blowing into snowdrifts as high as 4 feet in some places. Snowplows have been busy clearing the highway in anticipation of reopening the seasonal highway Thursday afternoon.
Wyoming has entered the last days of the summer season, which officially ends at 6:43 a.m. on Sunday — at least going by the calendar. Snow at this time of year at the highest points of the Cowboy State isn’t a sign of an early winter, but it definitely is a reminder that the seasons are changing quickly.
“It always feels earlier than it should be, but getting snow in the mountains in September is definitely nothing unusual,” said meteorologist Mike Natoli with the National Weather Service Office in Riverton. “If we were seeing the snow in the lower elevations, that would be a little unusual, but that's not what we expect this month.
Everything’s Seasonal
Despite the Beartooth blizzard, September temperatures across Wyoming have been “seasonal.” High temperatures are still in the 70s and occasionally higher.
“We are forecasting a high of 80 in Cheyenne on Friday,” Natoli said. “We’re still pretty warm, at least for the next two days.”
Natoli said a cold front will move across southern Wyoming over the weekend, dropping daytime temperatures as much as 20 degrees. That could mean snowfall in the Snowy Range and anywhere above 9,000 feet.
“We might see some snow mixing in Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning,” he said. “This will pretty much just be rain at the lower elevations, but those higher elevations will likely see some flakes flying this weekend. If you've got hiking plans on Sunday morning, plan for a few icy spots.”
The cold front will primarily impact Colorado and southeast Wyoming. The rest of the Cowboy State will be largely unaffected.
Meteorologist Taylor Wittmann with the NWS Riverton office said the forecast for the rest of Wyoming looks “pretty seasonal” through the weekend and into the first week of fall. In fact, it’s likely to warm up again.
“Through this weekend and the start of next week, we'll be a little on the cool side, in the 60s to low 70s,” he said. “Starting in the middle of next week, we could increase temperature, maybe into the upper 70s. That'd be a touch warmer than normal, but it’s still looking mostly seasonal.”
Dry Too
The first week of fall might be trending warmer, but it’s also trending drier. If the weekend cold front across southern Wyoming brings any precipitation below 9,000 feet, Natoli doesn’t think it’ll be widespread.
“Most of Wyoming is probably not going to see a lot of rain from the weekend storm system,” he said. “Unfortunately for the regions that need rain the most, like northeast Wyoming, it doesn't look like it’ll get it this time. The southeastern part of the state has a good chance of seeing rain showers on Monday and Tuesday.”
Wittmann said another system should move into northwestern Wyoming on Monday, bringing another dusting of snow, no more than half an inch, to the Beartooth Highway. Otherwise, there doesn’t seem to be any significant snow or rain in the forecast.
“We're not seeing anything big come through in the next five or six days,” he said. “We could see some isolated showers in some parts of the state, but we’re not looking at anything widespread. It looks pretty tame for the next week.”
The 80s Are Over?
For most of Wyoming, it already feels like the end of summer. The searing summer heat and triple-digit days are long gone, but there could still be a few spikes before fall fully settles in.
“Cheyenne’s average high is about 80 degrees on Sept. 1,” Natoli said. “By Oct. 1, our average highs are down to about 65 degrees. We lose quite a bit from our averages, so 80-degree days are now 10 to 15 degrees warmer than normal at the end of September. It’s a little hard to get there, but not unprecedented.”
Wittmann wouldn’t be surprised if the warmer regions of Wyoming, like Johnson County and the Bighorn Basin, could still see 80-degree days at the end of September.
“It does depend on where you are. Our warmer places could see some 80-degree days towards the end of this month, but other areas might be done with their 80s for the year.”
First Flurries
Wyoming’s getting ready for the colder months ahead. Several areas in Teton and Sublette counties have already reported their first frosts, and the cold fronts spreading snow across the Beartooths will eventually get strong enough to bring snow low.
Based on current climate and historical analysis, Natoli believes southwest Wyoming has another two to three weeks before the first snow. Cheyenne typically sees its first snow around Oct. 5.
“The earliest snowfall on record in Cheyenne was Sept. 8, which occurred a few years ago in 2020,” he said. “But in 2022, we didn’t get the first snowfall until November. It can come earlier or later, but we’re about three weeks out from our average.”
The first week of fall looks warmer and drier than average for most of Wyoming, with any snowfall still confined to the highest points of the mountains. That’s good news for anyone planning a trek over the Beartooth Highway.
The National Park Service and the Montana Department of Transportation are trying to keep the Beartooth Highway open until mid-October, weather permitting. Based on Wyoming’s short-term forecast, the weather looks permitting.
Wittmann doesn’t see enough additional snow in the forecast to prompt another temporary closure.
“We don't control road closures and openings, but looking at the forecast, it doesn't look like they will be getting any significant snow here in the next week,” he said. “It looks pretty tame up there and across most of Wyoming.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
