A foot of pre-Memorial Day snow falls in the Rockies

It may be the end of May, but on Thursday, May 23, more than a foot of snow fell in the Rocky Mountain passes in Montana, Iowa and Wyoming.

While May snow is not rare in these areas, the last significant snowstorm of the season last year in the Rockies was May 13, 2023.

By Thursday afternoon, 20 inches of snow had fallen at Porter's Corner, Montana, and a foot had fallen at Twin Lakes. In Idaho, 11 inches had fallen at Mountain Meadows.

Casper, Wyoming, did not see accumulating snow on Thursday but recorded 3.9 inches of snow on May 3 of this year. That was the most snow in May since the 7.7-inch total for the month in 2019 and the biggest May snowstorm since nearly a foot of snow fell on May 5, 2007.

The 24-hour snowfall map prior to noon EDT on May 24, 2024.

The Rocky Mountain National Park Service said on Facebook Wednesday, "Due to ongoing and forecasted winter weather conditions at higher elevations in Rocky Mountain National Park, Trail Ridge Road will not be opening this holiday weekend."

Trail Ridge Road, which rises to 12,183 feet in north-central Colorado, typically opens in May.

"Park snowplow operators have been plowing Trail Ridge Road since mid-April," they explained. "May storms with significant winds at higher elevations have hampered snow plowing operations. Plow operators this week have encountered additional snow accumulation, significant wind resulting in deep snow drifts, freezing cold temperatures, and ice."

Snow was also falling in Wyoming at Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday.

A traffic webcam shows snow at Lost Trail Pass late afternoon on May 22, 2024. (Idaho DOT)