Average temperatures this time of year in the region between the Cascades and Rockies are in the 60s and 70s.
But the atmosphere had other plans.
Sometimes, Mother Nature has a sense of humor. It certainly seemed like that in parts of the Intermountain West on Wednesday, when snow began falling three days before the summer solstice. Abundant snowfall actually buried those same states in one foot of snow last week already:
Winter weather advisories were in effect for parts of northern Idaho and southwestern Montana early Wednesday, where snow in the higher elevations was accumulating as much as half a foot thick.
Snow could visit Yellowstone National Park overnight into early Thursday, with highs near 60 and a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.
June 17th…2020 y’all! #wywx #stormhour pic.twitter.com/LTCOERV1ND
— John Sirlin (@SirlinJohn) June 17, 2020
A juiced-up summer storm meets cold air
The offseason visit by Old Man Winter comes as a robust shot of frigid air swings through at the upper levels, bringing stormy weather and cold-enough temperatures to flip rain over to snow.
The system had plenty of moisture to work with, dropping upward of two inches of rain across much of the region between the Cascades and Rockies, from the Northern Tier to the northern Rockies.
Updating the current status of Spring. #springtimeintherockies #idahohome #8"andstillsnowing https://t.co/xcYesLxrzo pic.twitter.com/lAfCIPmXVM
— Mike Palmer (@lemhimike) June 17, 2020
3.3 inches of rain fell from Monday through Wednesday morning in Big Sky, Mont., with 3.6 inches coming down in Clancy. Even Bozeman topped three inches of rain, greater than its average for the entire month of June.
But in Bear River State Park in Wyoming, that moisture came down as snow — at times heavy. The average high temperature for this time of year? 71 degrees.
@NWSMissoula @salmonchallisnf just came out of the hills northwest of Salmon. Forecast was pretty dead on. 11:30am at 8100' there was 8" of snow with heavy snow still falling. #IDwx pic.twitter.com/9xyJgNdYlM
— Mike Palmer (@lemhimike) June 17, 2020
A few mountain passes were expected to see between six and eight inches of snow, with elevations as low as 5,500 or 6,000 feet.
While the snow won’t stick around, it’s certainly not every day you see a winter wonderland in mid-June.
Current view of #LostTrailPass this morning. #IDwx #MTwx pic.twitter.com/H6szeOaDwu
— NWS Missoula (@NWSMissoula) June 17, 2020
“It’s a pretty rare event,” said Bob Nester, a senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Missoula, Mont. “I’ve been here 20 years, and it’s only happened a handful of times.”
How unusual is it?
Butte, Mont., which didn’t quite see snow this time around, has only recorded June snow 11 times between 1893 and 2001, according to Nester. The city sits at roughly 5,000 feet. Nester explained that, in extreme northern Idaho and adjacent parts of western Montana, snow from the ongoing storm primarily fell above the 6,000-foot elevation.
“The focus of all the snow was above 6,300 or 6,400 feet,” explained Nester. “May and June are the wettest months of the year, especially in southwest Montana, so this is welcome.”
Days away from the official start of summer but winter is hanging on in the northern Rockies. pic.twitter.com/3XXP8OecKP
— Kevin Williams (@wxbywilliams) June 17, 2020
Nester recalled one June storm that dropped six inches on Missoula in early June 2001, prompting the city’s mayor to declare a disaster.
“That one was memorable,” recounted Nestor. “I was on the overnight shift, and we kept getting calls from people saying it sounded like firecrackers, with large [tree] limbs cracking.”
Lost Trail Pass is snow-covered this morning. Winter storm warning remains posted through noon. #MTwx #NBCmontana pic.twitter.com/YYThOJhvgG
— Brooke Foster (@BrookeNBCMT) June 17, 2020
In Idaho, pockets of snow developed with the low-pressure system’s “comma head” of wraparound moisture, where showers overlapped a jet of cold air streaming into the region. Snow levels there were able to drop to 5,500 feet overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning.
“We had reports of up to 3.5 inches of snow that fell overnight, mostly in the central part of Idaho where the highest mountains are,” said Jack Messick, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Pocatello, Idaho. “If affects travel, obviously. And at some of the lower elevations [that see snow], if it’s not coniferous trees, if they’re deciduous, usually those [trees] are not used to having snow when their branches have leaves on them.”
7:20 AM Wed 06/17: Current view at Gilmore Summit in Lemhi County, courtesy of ITD! #idwx pic.twitter.com/XS7iQlPBCN
— NWS Pocatello (@NWSPocatello) June 17, 2020
Messick warned that could affect high-altitude vegetation in areas where leafing has already occurred.
“It’s all pretty rare, and as far as the amounts go, maybe once every five years or so we have a snowfall here in mid-June that gets this low and substantial,” Messick said. “It’s basically from a low [pressure system] that came out of the Gulf of Alaska and interior Canada, and sagged to the southeast.”
Attached is the latest rainfall totals as the latest storm moves across the region. This system also brought a couple of inches of snow to the northwest mountains… as Jim Mitchell shows off 4 new inches above Pinedale.https://t.co/Ot8Y1NmAgx pic.twitter.com/MBwVCKX7hw
— NWS Riverton (@NWSRiverton) June 17, 2020
The low has brought a mixed bag of weather, ranging from summertime storms to a burst of wintry mischief.
“Usually the air aloft is very cold, and that makes the air very unstable,” favoring rising air and storms, Messick said. “We get thunderstorm activity the first day, then you get heavy rainfall amounts, and that can contribute to snow” if the rain falls quickly and heavily enough.
These pictures came from the @BlaineCoSheriff Facebook page!
— Eric Brill (@EBrillWx) June 17, 2020
They noted that near Galena Summit saw 6-10" of snow, and that a felony warrant out for Mother Nature for illegal dumping!!
It is June 17th, right?!?@JimCantore @spann @PatrickVaughn4
Source: https://t.co/qUApcvrRhI pic.twitter.com/3Vn7ckvVN0
The good news for those eager for summer?
“Clouds will recede, and we’ll be warming into the 70s up to 4,500 feet,” said Messick, whose office is forecasting a dramatic improvement in the weather Thursday and Friday.
But in a year as wild as 2020, don’t get too comfortable.
“We’ve had snow on the Fourth of July in Pocatello at 4,500 feet back in the 1970s,” Messick said, laughing. “That was bad.”
Offseason snow has been a recent theme across the Northern Plains and Rockies. Parts of Montana saw two to four feet of snow to close out September. More unusual weather phenomena on Strange Sounds and Steve Quayle. [TWP]
We have made climate change so bad, that now we never know we are in summer or winter or ? that is why we need peace love tranquility which is Christ and division and disunity , racism and
killing are anti Christ. If we put name of Christians we must obey
that Christ is love . Hate is crime.
yes weather manipulation at its best…