Regional Forecasts

Winter Rudely Interrupts Summer in the Northern Rockies

At a Glance

Snow has fallen in the northern Rockies to start this week.
The snow was reported at elevations as low as 6,500 feet.

A taste of winter weather swept into the northern Rockies Sunday into early Monday where snow was reported in parts of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.

Above 10,000 feet in Yellowstone National Park, there was enough new snow to build a snowman.

It was enough to close Beartooth Pass Monday on the Wyoming side, typically open from late May through mid-October, cutting off the most direct route from Red Lodge, Montana, to Yellowstone National Park.

A light coating of snow could be seen on an Idaho DOT webcam at Lost Trail Pass Monday morning.

Snow at Lost Trail Pass in Idaho.
(Idaho DOT)

This Montana DOT webcam at Big Hole Pass in the southwestern part of the state showed snow covering the ground Monday morning at an elevation of 7,400 feet.

Snow in Montana on Monday morning.
(Montana DOT)

Snow fell at elevations as low as 6,500 feet in the hills around Grangeville, Idaho, on Sunday evening.

Brundage Ski Resort near McCall, Idaho, also saw some snowfall.

In Wyoming, snowflakes were spotted on a camera at Rendevous Peak near Jackson.

This snow is due to much colder air rushing into the northern Rockies from a trough of low pressure aloft (dip in the jet stream) moving across the region.

Temperatures are also well below average for the middle of July. On Monday morning, a wind chill of 21 degrees was reported at Point 6 mountain to the north of Missoula, Montana.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Montana, Wyoming Snow - July 27, 2015