A winter storm expected to hit Wyoming this weekend could make travel “impossible” in much of the western part of the state.
In a Winter Storm Warning for the mountain ranges of western Wyoming this weekend, the National Weather Service cautions that travel through Teton Pass “could be difficult to impossible,” with almost a foot of snow expected between Saturday morning and Sunday evening.
Wyomingites need to take winter weather seriously, and a significant amount of snow will fall on western Wyoming's mountain passes, the agency reports. However, “impossible” sounds a bit improbable to meteorologists.
“This is the type of weather pattern that tends to bring really heavy snow to the western mountain ranges, but not all at once,” said Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day. “If you have to venture over Teton Pass, South Pass, Togwotee Pass or the Bighorns, you’re going to run into winter weather.”
Results May Vary
The NWS’s warning calls for between 1 and 2 feet of snow in the Tetons and a similar amount in the Gros Ventres.
Taylor Wittman, a meteorologist with the NWS Office in Riverton, confirmed that the worst of this winter storm will happen between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
“We're looking at potentially a foot or more of snow that will be spread out over 24 to 30 hours,” he said. “We could also see 20 to 30 mph winds during that timeframe. That will create some travel impacts.”
The highest points of the Teton and Gros Ventres could see as much as 30 inches of snow by Sunday evening. However, most of the snow will be spread across several hours rather than dropping all at once.
Wittman anticipates steady snowfall on Teton Pass this weekend rather than waves of rapidly accumulating heavy snow. That could still be enough to cause snow accumulation, slick conditions and overnight ice on the highway.
“At times, the snow could be coming down hard enough to accumulate on the road,” he said. “Nighttime temperatures will be below freezing, which could be especially hazardous with the high winds.”
Below that, the impact will be less severe but still significant. Jackson Hole could get between 4 and 6 inches of snow this weekend, and there will be some accumulation in Star Valley, Pinedale, Bondurant and the Upper Green River Basin in Sweetwater County.
Beyond that, there won’t be much of anything weather-wise this weekend. The lower elevations of western Wyoming might see some scattered snow but no accumulation, and the rest of Wyoming shouldn’t see a single snowflake.
“Fremont and Natrona County might see an inch of snow, but the lower elevation areas east of the Continental Divide are looking at half an inch or less if anything,” Wittman said. “This system is mostly focused on the western Wyoming mountains and won’t reach far beyond that.”
Skier’s Snow
Day classified this weekend’s winter storm as “skier’s snow.” Ski resorts in the Tetons and Gros Ventres will be pleased with the results, which will continue into next week.
“Several systems are reaching western Wyoming over the next week,” he said. “There's one going through today, the stronger ones coming in tomorrow and Sunday, and another one coming in Monday night and Tuesday. If you add the three waves up, it'll lead to some pretty good snow totals spread out over four days.”
Snow never falls evenly, especially in the mountains. Day said anyone traveling through western Wyoming should expect to encounter different intensities as they move through the mountain passes.
“The western side of the Tetons are going to do really well, 12 to 24 inches by Wednesday, and you'll probably get 6 to 8 inches on the eastern side,” he said. “There'll be a little bit of a difference, but this is a typical pattern where you'll get good snow in the Tetons. We see it every winter.”
Yellowstone National Park should benefit from this storm as well. Between 1 to 3 inches of snow is expected at Old Faithful, while Mammoth Hot Springs will see some snowfall but little, if any, accumulation.
Day said the plains of western Wyoming could see some scattered snow while several feet falls in the mountains. But the keyword is “scattered.”
“There'll be a little bit of snow on the plains in some areas on Sunday, but it's not going to amount to a lot,” he said. “This is the type of pattern that is mainly going to hit the high country the best.”
Cautious And Aware
This weekend’s winter storm is one of the first significant snowfalls in western Wyoming for this winter season. That means commuters who regularly use Teton Pass might face unexpected challenges as they use the temporary corridor constructed after the collapse of the highway in July.
The temporary highway is a bit steeper and curvier than the old one. That could be particularly hazardous when the pavement is covered in black ice, slick spots of melted snow, and whiteout conditions.
Both Day and Wittman cautioned commuters in western Wyoming to take the weekend winter storm seriously. However, they don’t think traveling will get to the point of “impossible.”
“We definitely wanted to give people a heads up on this one,” Wittman said. “Ideally, you want to avoid any unnecessary winter travel. If you have to travel on Saturday or Sunday, be prepared.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
