Late-Season Winter Storm to Dump Heavy Snow Across the Rockies

Winter is overstaying its welcome across the Rockies. Another late-season storm is setting up to bring mountain snow to a large swath of Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. Here is what you need to know about the return of winter in this part of the country.

Heavy Snow and Dangerous Travel Return to the Rockies

Winter weather is back in the picture for the Rockies. While it was an unseasonably dry winter for the majority of Colorado and the Intermountain West, Mother Nature appears to be making up for lost time in May. Many areas will see the second major snowstorm of the month during a time when the wintry precipitation typically comes to a halt.

The warmer temperatures this time of the year, when compared to the depths of winter, mean that the roads will remain mostly wet in lower terrains. However, the heavy nature of spring snow means that it could bring down tree limbs and power lines, triggering outages in the heaviest-hit areas.

Unlike the snow event that impacted Denver and the surrounding area on May 5 and 6, this upcoming storm will primarily affect the top terrains of Colorado and to the north. The early May storm took aim at Colorado's Front Range, its foothills, and the High Plains. Denver picked up 5.8 inches of snow out of this system, making it the second-biggest snowfall of the entire winter season. The May storm was second only to a March event that dumped 8.5 inches on the Mile High City.

There is a chance that some wet snow may mix with the rain showers in Denver late Sunday and into Monday. Nearby Colorado Springs and Pueblo are forecast to escape with just rain.

Looking at the forecast for Denver specifically, the metro area is predicted to see scattered thunderstorms make an appearance on Sunday afternoon and into the evening hours. Highs in the mid 60s will fall sharply as the cold front arrives, sending the mercury down into the mid 40s overnight. This is the best chance to see a few snowflakes mix in with the rain.

The temperatures will not warm up at all on Monday in Denver, bouncing around in the mid to upper 40s. Rainfall of about a quarter of an inch is in store this day. Winds out of the north at 10 to 20 will add to the chill in the air. This forecast will mark quite a change from the highs in the mid-80s to end the prior week.

Wyoming and Utah Mountains Could See a Foot of Snow

It will be a different situation in the core of the storm, farther to the north. Cheyenne, Wyoming, is forecast to record 1 to 3 inches of snow out of this weather maker. Like Denver, it has been a dry winter for the city in the southern part of the state. Prior to the early May storm, Cheyenne had notched just 16.6 inches of snow since October 1. To put this into context, this is just 28% of the historical average for the city. The May 5 - 6 storm delivered 9 inches of snow, helping to boost the overall totals.

The Wyoming towns of Laramie and Rawlins are expecting 3 to 6 inches of snow when this new storm churns through the region.

The heaviest bands of snow are forecast to unleash across Wyoming's Bighorn and Teton ranges and on the Wasatch Range in Utah. These top peaks could see up to a foot of snow. Forecasters are also warning that a slushy accumulation is possible in the higher elevations of South Dakota's Black Hills to start the work week.

Salt Lake City is not expected to see any meaningful snow accumulation. However, some slush may be observed on grassy and unpaved surfaces in the foothills east of the city.

Motorists needing to use Interstate 70 or 80 in this region will want to be prepared for rapidly changing conditions depending on the altitude. Snow in the Rocky Mountains will give way to the threat of thunderstorms and heavy rain in the Plains and the Mississippi Valley.

The stretch of Interstate 80 in Wyoming is likely to see slippery conditions in the zone between Cheyenne and Laramie. Elevations reach as high as 8,600 feet along this stretch.

The same situation is predicted to unfold along Interstate 70 near the Eisenhower Tunnel, located about 60 miles west of Denver. Elevations at this tunnel approach the 11,000-foot mark, meaning that temperatures will be cold enough to support the development of accumulating snow.

The chance of slushy and snowy roads is not good news for motorists. However, any moisture is welcome in the drought-stricken region. Snow totals over the last six months in the central Rockies are sitting at just 25 - 50% of the historical average. Climatologists have already been warning that this is likely to create water availability concerns later in the summer.

While the onset of the moisture coming along with the North American monsoon season could help to replenish some of these water deficits, it might be too little, too late. According to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, a large swath of the western U.S. remains under the designation of moderate to exceptional drought.