December 21, 2022 |
A massive weather system gripping much of the nation will move into south central Wyoming later today, bringing snow, wind and dangerously cold temperatures.
High wind warnings, winter weather advisories and winter storm warning are all part of the scenario as the storm in two weeks slams into Carbon County. The coldest air mass in several decades, combined with wind, will produce windchill temperatures well below -45.
Steps should be taken to limit exposure to the cold air. Frostbite can develop within minutes when unprotected portions of the body are exposed to extreme cold wind chills.
Wind chill temperatures at Rawlins and other portions of Carbon County are expected to hit -20 by noon today and fall from there. By midnight, the National Weather Service expects wind chill temperatures in Carbon County to be around -40.
Throughout the day Thursday, wind chill temperatures will hover in the -30 to -35 range. Relief is on the way Friday into Saturday as temperatures are expected rebound.
The only good news is that the forecasted snow amounts for Rawlins and Saratoga are in the 1-2 inch range. Arlington and portions of the Interstate 80 corridor may soon 2-3 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Cheyenne.
More snowfall in expected at higher elevations in the Snowy Range and Sierra Madres.
Our snowfall could come in bursts. Snow squalls are expected in Carbon County from 1 p.m. through 8 p.m. Snowfall is expected to taper off late tonight into early Thursday. Local drifting and blowing snow may limit visibility and create for hazardous conditions on roadways. Travelers and livestock interests should take precautions. The changes in weather and road conditions today are expected to be fast and brutal.
The storm will produce one of the coldest Christmases on record for some parts of the country. Youtube personality and American meteorological analyst Ryan Hall, known as Ryan Hall Y’all, breaks down what’s happening.
Pictured above: File photo of winter weather in Carbon County. Photo by Cali O’Hare/Bigfoot 99.
Hall said the storm could shift east or west depending on conditions.
Across the western U.S, the heaviest snowfall amounts are expected in the higher terrain of the Cascades and into northern Idaho, northwest Montana and western Wyoming, the National Weather Service said, adding: “These regions will have the best chances for over a foot of snow.”
