Star Valley Weather

The major change in the storm track and jet stream that has occurred this weekend and ushered in unseasonably cool and damp weather over the western states will likely persist the remainder of May and possibly even into June The following is an animation of the 300 mb forecast pressure and wind fields for the next 7 days.  An unseasonably deep upper trough remains over the western states as a strong upper ridge sets up over the Eastern Pacific ocean….

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  The first of this coming week, Star Valley and surrounding areas will experience beautiful late Spring Weather.  However the models are making a strong case that by the end of the week and into next week a return to an active weather pattern will spread across the Western States and into the Great Plains.   The following is an animated loop of the forecast 300mb  pattern including the jet stream through much of the remainder of May. It can…

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HIGHLIGHTS: …Wyoming April 2019 precipitation was 115 to 120 percent of average… …Current water year precipitation is averaging 110 to 115 percent of normal across Wyoming… …Mountain snowpack across Wyoming is 90 to 100 percent of median… …Near normal to slightly above normal snowmelt streamflow volumes are still expected across several major basins in Wyoming… …Total reservoir capacity across Wyoming continues to be 75 to 80 percent by early May…   SYNOPSIS: April 2019 precipitation totals across Wyoming were 115 to 120 percent of average. Precipitation numbers varied between 160 percent of normal over the Snake and Upper Green River Drainages (west to west central Wyoming)…

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An unseasonably cold upper low pressure system over the Rockies with the center over Western Wyoming has provided a brief setback in the Spring warm up across Star Valley. This morning snow was reported across all of Star Valley and adjacent areas. While the valley floor accumulated just an inch of less, the higher slopes such as Star Valley Ranch and Smoot measured 3 and 2 inches respectively.  Also commuters over Teton Pass around sunrise had to contend with slick…

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About SKYWARN Spotter Training: The National Weather Service relies on trained volunteers to supplement Doppler Radar information when severe storms and tornadoes threaten. These dedicated individuals volunteer their time to learn about and detect severe weather. Their valuable cooperation is important in the warning process. Weather reports from trained spotters are used along with Doppler Radar data to issue warnings of tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and flash floods. How can you get involved in this great program? Just attend one of our FREE spotter training talks at…

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April was another above normal precipitation month for Star Valley. However there were no unusually warm or cold periods. The coldest morning by far was the 1st day of April.  Double L dipped to 11 above on the 1st with 13 at Bedford and 15 at Afton.  The remainder of the month the minimums remained above 20 throughout Star Valley. Most stations realized their higher temperature on the 20th. Etna Elementary School topped out at 73 and 71 at Thayne…

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National Weather Service Riverton WY 0956 AM MDT Wed May 01 2019 A strong spring storm delivered significant snowfall accumulations to much of Western and central Wyoming overnight and this morning. The following are several snowfall reports from around the area. Location Snowfall Big Horn County… Fremont County… 6 SW Lander… 11.7 inches. Sinks Canyon… 10 inches. 9 SSE Lander… 10 inches. 9 SSE Lander… 9 inches. Lander… 8 inches. Hudson… 7 inches. 3 W Riverton… 6 inches. 2 W…

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Except for left over snow piles the winter snow season at the Star Valley Ranch observation site ended on April 20 when the last measured day of snow cover was 6 inches.  A combination of rain and warm temperatures on the next day removed much of the remaining snow. If it seemed like snow was on the ground for a long time, it actually was 166 days from November 4th until April 20th.  The greatest measured snow depth was 40…

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Wyoming Spring 2019 Snowmelt Flood Potential—issued April 17th   HIGHLIGHTS: …Moderate to High potential for snowmelt runoff flooding is forecasted along the lower portions of the Laramie Watershed (near Laramie)… …Moderate potential for snowmelt runoff flooding is forecasted along the  lower portions of the Upper North Platte River Basin (near Saratoga) and  along the lower portions of the Little Snake Watershed (near Dixon/Baggs)… …All other of headwater basins across Wyoming can expect a generally Low potential for flooding due to springtime snowmelt runoff… This…

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Moon rise over Afton WY   Moon rise over Bedford WY   Moon rise over the Tetons