CHEYENNE, Wyo. — It’s still summer, but a snowstorm blanketed parts of Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana and Colorado, setting early-snowfall records in some places, covering lawns and flower gardens and providing a preview of what is to come.
The storm dumped up to 20 inches of snow in parts of Wyoming on Wednesday and Thursday and sent overnight temperatures plummeting into the 20s in some areas.
Still, it was the earliest snowfall on record for parts of Wyoming and southwest South Dakota. Temperatures hovered around freezing in Denver, forcing many gardeners to wrap their plants for protection.
Hard frosts were reported in western Montana. Kalispell reported a record low of 23 degrees Friday morning while Missoula’s record low was 25, compared with 28 in 1988.
Chuck Baker, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Riverton, Wyo., said the blast of wintry weather originated in the northern reaches of Canada. “It was pretty potent for this time of year,” Baker said.
The heavy, wet snow snapped tree branches and caused power failures in Buffalo, Wyo., Buffalo and the surrounding area.
Some roads and highways had slick spots Friday morning. Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park in Montana was closed temporarily earlier in the week, but otherwise travel was not hampered.
The National Weather Service reported 20 inches of snow fell in the Bighorn Mountains in north-central Wyoming.
Eight inches fell in Custer, S.D.