Skiers over Rocky Mountains to be treated to snow for start of 2020
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Dec 31, 2019 8:10 PM EDT
A storm riding in from the Pacific Northwest will be the first snowmaker across much of the Rockies for the new year.
During Wednesday snow will continue over the northern Rockies, as fresh powder also piles up across western Wyoming, northern Utah and northwestern Colorado.
By later Wednesday night, snow is forecast to reach the mountains in northern New Mexico.
"The storm is forecast to bring a general 1-3 inches to the lower elevations from northern Montana to northern New Mexico," AccuWeather Meteorologist Courtney Travis said.
"From 1 to 2 feet of snow is likely to pile up over the high country in northwestern Wyoming, north-central Colorado and north central Utah with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 36 inches," she added.
A few inches of wet snow are in store for Salt Lakes City into Wednesday night with a foot of snow possible over the Benches.
A winter storm warning is in effect for Salt Lake City, Provo, and Ogden, Utah.
Much of and perhaps all of the snow may avoid the Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo areas of Colorado.
The storm is generating strong winds in part of the region. Gusts between 55 and 75 mph occurred in parts of Wyoming during Wednesday morning. A peak gust of 97 mph with sustained wind of 83 mph was observed along Interstate 80 in Laramie County, Wyoming.
True Arctic air is not likely to be tapped by the storm, limiting widespread blizzard conditions. However, travel is still expected to become difficult and dangerous in some areas.
Motorists venturing along portions of Interstate 15 in Utah, Idaho and Montana, as well as I-70 in Colorado and Utah; I-80 in Wyoming and Utah and I-90 in Montana and Idaho should be prepared for wintry conditions and possible road closures. Road conditions will range from wet to slushy in the lower elevations to snow-covered over the mountains.
On Dec. 30, in Portland, Oregon, crews rescued a climber, 16, who fell 500 feet on Mount Hood. The climber was reported to be in stable condition.
Additional storms are likely to continue to roll in from the Pacific Ocean and hit the Northwest states first. Even in lieu of Arctic air, the frequent storms are likely to keep temperatures below average over much of the Rockies in the coming weeks.
Where skies become clear and winds diminish at night, areas with fresh snow cover can still become very cold even without Arctic air.
In a similar setup, Colorado recently manufactured its own cold air with temperatures plummeting as low as minus 48 on Monday morning, despite the lack of an Arctic intrusion.
Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Winter Weather
Skiers over Rocky Mountains to be treated to snow for start of 2020
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Dec 31, 2019 8:10 PM EDT
A storm riding in from the Pacific Northwest will be the first snowmaker across much of the Rockies for the new year.
During Wednesday snow will continue over the northern Rockies, as fresh powder also piles up across western Wyoming, northern Utah and northwestern Colorado.
By later Wednesday night, snow is forecast to reach the mountains in northern New Mexico.
"The storm is forecast to bring a general 1-3 inches to the lower elevations from northern Montana to northern New Mexico," AccuWeather Meteorologist Courtney Travis said.
"From 1 to 2 feet of snow is likely to pile up over the high country in northwestern Wyoming, north-central Colorado and north central Utah with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 36 inches," she added.
A few inches of wet snow are in store for Salt Lakes City into Wednesday night with a foot of snow possible over the Benches.
A winter storm warning is in effect for Salt Lake City, Provo, and Ogden, Utah.
Much of and perhaps all of the snow may avoid the Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo areas of Colorado.
Related:
The storm is generating strong winds in part of the region. Gusts between 55 and 75 mph occurred in parts of Wyoming during Wednesday morning. A peak gust of 97 mph with sustained wind of 83 mph was observed along Interstate 80 in Laramie County, Wyoming.
True Arctic air is not likely to be tapped by the storm, limiting widespread blizzard conditions. However, travel is still expected to become difficult and dangerous in some areas.
Motorists venturing along portions of Interstate 15 in Utah, Idaho and Montana, as well as I-70 in Colorado and Utah; I-80 in Wyoming and Utah and I-90 in Montana and Idaho should be prepared for wintry conditions and possible road closures. Road conditions will range from wet to slushy in the lower elevations to snow-covered over the mountains.
On Dec. 30, in Portland, Oregon, crews rescued a climber, 16, who fell 500 feet on Mount Hood. The climber was reported to be in stable condition.
Additional storms are likely to continue to roll in from the Pacific Ocean and hit the Northwest states first. Even in lieu of Arctic air, the frequent storms are likely to keep temperatures below average over much of the Rockies in the coming weeks.
Where skies become clear and winds diminish at night, areas with fresh snow cover can still become very cold even without Arctic air.
In a similar setup, Colorado recently manufactured its own cold air with temperatures plummeting as low as minus 48 on Monday morning, despite the lack of an Arctic intrusion.
Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo