Rare June snowstorm blankets Colorado Springs and parts of Wyoming
By
John Murphy, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Jun 9, 2020 7:04 PM EST
It may be June, but snow was falling in Oak Creek, Colorado, on June 8, prompting winter weather warnings to be issued.
After warm weather over the weekend drove temperatures into summer territory, a rare June snowstorm pushed through the Rocky Mountain region, bringing accumulating snowfall to several states.
Ahead of the cold and snow, portions of the area experienced temperatures well above average to start the week. On Sunday, the temperature at Colorado Springs Airport reached 88 degrees, 12 degrees above average for this time of year. And Laramie, Wyoming, topped out at 76 degrees.
Once the heat moved out, high-wind warnings covered Colorado and Wyoming on Monday night as a weather system rolled through the area with thunderstorms and even hail for portions of the Denver metro area.
A storm that produced snowfall for parts of Nevada and Utah started to push toward the Rocky Mountain states during the overnight hours and into Tuesday morning.
Alta, Utah, picked up more than a foot of snow, with a three-day storm total of 16.6 inches, as of Monday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), as the storm continued moving eastward.
Temperatures tumbled as the snow fell in portions of Colorado and Wyoming, giving way to near-record late-season snowfall for many areas.
According to the National Weather Service's (NWS) Weather Prediction Center (WPC), "The storm produced unusually high snowfall accumulations for June."
A three-day snowfall map ending Tuesday evening shows amounts of more than a foot across portions of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. (NOAA / NWS / WPC)
Colorado Springs tumbled into the upper 30s Monday morning, nearing the record daily low of 37 set in 1975. The average low temperature this time of year for the city is in the 50s.
Laramie dipped down to 32 with an AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature in the mid-20s. The average low temperature for Laramie at this time of year is 40.
Laramie and Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, both were buried under 8 inches of snow from the unusual storm.
Interstate 80 was shut down between Laramie and Cheyenne for several hours as crews from the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) worked to clear the roads. WYDOT reported upwards of a foot of snow in high-elevation areas, including around Summit.
HIghways in Laramie, Wyoming, were covered in snow on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, creating a scene that looks more like winter rather than 11 days from the official start of summer. (Twitter / Wyoming Dept. of Transportation)
(Twitter / Wyoming Dept. of Transportation)
On June 8, Laramie was just one day short of breaking the all-time latest snowfall record, according to KWGN Atmospheric Scientist Matt Makens. However, with measurable snow persisting into June 9, the town was poised to break the record.
Monument, a suburb of Colorado Springs, received nearly 2 inches of snow from the unseasonable snowstorm. Colorado Springs' latest snowfall record stands as June 10 set in 1975, when a late-season storm delivered about an inch of snow to the city.
Areas near the Denver metro area also had snowflakes in the early morning at elevations as low as 7,500 ft.
According to the NWS, the latest date of last snowfall in Denver is June 12, a record that was set when a trace of snow fell on the date in 1947. The measurable snow in Denver occurred on June 2, set when 0.3 of an inch of snow fell back in 1951.
And snow was not the only chilly weather impact residents in those areas had to contend with. Powerful wind gusts also lashed the region.
According to the National Weather Service, an astonishing 102-mph gust was reported in Akron, Colorado, about 130 miles northeast of Denver. Other top wind gusts throughout the region included a 71-mph gust in Limon, Colorado, about 90 miles southwest of Denver, a 64-mph gust in the town of Ellicott, about 24 miles east of Colorado Springs, and a 63-mph gust at Pueblo Memorial Airport, about 50 miles south of Colorado Springs.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather News
Rare June snowstorm blankets Colorado Springs and parts of Wyoming
By John Murphy, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Jun 9, 2020 7:04 PM EST
It may be June, but snow was falling in Oak Creek, Colorado, on June 8, prompting winter weather warnings to be issued.
After warm weather over the weekend drove temperatures into summer territory, a rare June snowstorm pushed through the Rocky Mountain region, bringing accumulating snowfall to several states.
Ahead of the cold and snow, portions of the area experienced temperatures well above average to start the week. On Sunday, the temperature at Colorado Springs Airport reached 88 degrees, 12 degrees above average for this time of year. And Laramie, Wyoming, topped out at 76 degrees.
Once the heat moved out, high-wind warnings covered Colorado and Wyoming on Monday night as a weather system rolled through the area with thunderstorms and even hail for portions of the Denver metro area.
A storm that produced snowfall for parts of Nevada and Utah started to push toward the Rocky Mountain states during the overnight hours and into Tuesday morning.
Alta, Utah, picked up more than a foot of snow, with a three-day storm total of 16.6 inches, as of Monday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), as the storm continued moving eastward.
Temperatures tumbled as the snow fell in portions of Colorado and Wyoming, giving way to near-record late-season snowfall for many areas.
According to the National Weather Service's (NWS) Weather Prediction Center (WPC), "The storm produced unusually high snowfall accumulations for June."
A three-day snowfall map ending Tuesday evening shows amounts of more than a foot across portions of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. (NOAA / NWS / WPC)
Colorado Springs tumbled into the upper 30s Monday morning, nearing the record daily low of 37 set in 1975. The average low temperature this time of year for the city is in the 50s.
Laramie dipped down to 32 with an AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature in the mid-20s. The average low temperature for Laramie at this time of year is 40.
Laramie and Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, both were buried under 8 inches of snow from the unusual storm.
Interstate 80 was shut down between Laramie and Cheyenne for several hours as crews from the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) worked to clear the roads. WYDOT reported upwards of a foot of snow in high-elevation areas, including around Summit.
HIghways in Laramie, Wyoming, were covered in snow on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, creating a scene that looks more like winter rather than 11 days from the official start of summer. (Twitter / Wyoming Dept. of Transportation)
On June 8, Laramie was just one day short of breaking the all-time latest snowfall record, according to KWGN Atmospheric Scientist Matt Makens. However, with measurable snow persisting into June 9, the town was poised to break the record.
Monument, a suburb of Colorado Springs, received nearly 2 inches of snow from the unseasonable snowstorm. Colorado Springs' latest snowfall record stands as June 10 set in 1975, when a late-season storm delivered about an inch of snow to the city.
Areas near the Denver metro area also had snowflakes in the early morning at elevations as low as 7,500 ft.
According to the NWS, the latest date of last snowfall in Denver is June 12, a record that was set when a trace of snow fell on the date in 1947. The measurable snow in Denver occurred on June 2, set when 0.3 of an inch of snow fell back in 1951.
And snow was not the only chilly weather impact residents in those areas had to contend with. Powerful wind gusts also lashed the region.
According to the National Weather Service, an astonishing 102-mph gust was reported in Akron, Colorado, about 130 miles northeast of Denver. Other top wind gusts throughout the region included a 71-mph gust in Limon, Colorado, about 90 miles southwest of Denver, a 64-mph gust in the town of Ellicott, about 24 miles east of Colorado Springs, and a 63-mph gust at Pueblo Memorial Airport, about 50 miles south of Colorado Springs.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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