For the first time in many years, Wyoming is poised to have a nice day on Mother’s Day.
The National Weather Service is forecasting partly sunny skies and temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s throughout Mother’s Day weekend. That’s the nicest the weather’s been on Mother’s Day for the last few years.
But there’s a special significance to Mother’s Day in Wyoming. Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day always says winter doesn’t go away until Mother’s Day, and that truism seems to be holding out in 2025.
“Mother's Day weekend is going to be nice, and that's not always the case in Wyoming,” he said. “We're still going to have some opportunities for colder weather, but people can start resting a little bit easier after this weekend.”
Snow More?
There was widespread snow in Wyoming over the last week. Day can’t say if that’ll be the last snow this season, but the prognosis is positive.
“The same places that got snow this week are going to see the 70s this weekend,” he said. “There are no guarantees. You can get snow in the mountains throughout the year, but the threat of snow at lower elevations really drops off after Mother’s Day.”
If there is more snow after Mother’s Day, it won’t stick around. By mid-May, the winds of seasonal change are too strong and warm.
“I don't see a big late-season freeze coming or widespread cold returning in the next few weeks,” Day said. “We'll have some swings, just like we’ve had this week, but Mother’s Day weekend is a real marker of when winter weather is over for most of Wyoming.”
Where Spring Has Sprung
March, April and May are the wettest months of the year for Wyoming. In that respect, it’s been a good spring for most of the state.
“March was a decent month, April was great, and May is off to a really good start in the areas of north-central, northeast, and northwest Wyoming that were really dry last year,” Day said.
The areas devastated by last summer’s wildfires had an especially good spring. Day said the precipitation “turnaround” in Buffalo, Sheridan, and Gillette has been “huge” this season.
Unfortunately, Wyoming’s weather isn’t universally shared across the state. Southeast Wyoming hasn’t been able to partake in the wet weather bounty.
“Cheyenne hasn’t been getting spring moisture this season,” Day said. “It has rained, but there's a pretty good deficit for April and May.”
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s on May 1 assessment of Wyoming, Platte and Goshen Counties are experiencing “Extreme” drought. The rest of southeast Wyoming experiences extreme to severe drought.
That doesn’t mean southeast Wyoming is destined to have a drought-stricken summer. Day said it doesn’t take much precipitation to eliminate drought conditions.
“A couple days of heavy thunderstorms can turn the corner really quickly,” he said. “When you start getting wet, you can retain soil moisture, and it's easier to get wet again. That's exactly what's been happening in northern Wyoming, and there’s still some hope for southern Wyoming in May and June.”
The Next Holiday Hurdle
Wyoming will celebrate the warmth of a mother’s love this Mother’s Day (for a change). Day, meanwhile, is thinking about the meteorological misfortunes that may sour plans for the next holiday weekend.
“Memorial Day always gives me a little pause,” he said. “It’s a big, big weekend for people in Wyoming to get outside for the first time, and I always worry about that.”
Mother’s Day may be the winter hurdle for the lower elevations in Wyoming, but that’s not the case for the higher elevations. The Beartooth Highway is being cleared of snow by the National Park Service and the Montana Department of Transportation in anticipation of a Memorial Day opening, but that opening is often delayed by an end-of-May blizzard at 10,000 feet.
Day said that pattern has implications for anyone planning a Memorial Day weekend in the Bighorn or Beartooth mountains, or Yellowstone National Park. His recommendation is that everyone enjoy the mild Mother's Day we should have while anticipating the wintry Memorial Day weekend we could have.
“A lot of people are disappointed on Memorial Day weekend because they're so antsy to get out,” he said. “They get the camper and fishing poles out, head into the hills, and then they go up and sit in rain and snow for three days. In my experience, it can be a disappointing weekend.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
