> Red Lodge, Montana (photo courtesy of the Billings Gazette)

We are seeing vast differences now just over recent days as the entire weather map is shaping up to be quite the wintry one for much of the Rockies as heavy snow are coming down and temperatures today across Wyoming will struggle to see freezing point.

A large cold pool and a jet stream that loops around the West with an associated storm system within the base of the trough is making for a huge difference in temperature of late with much of California witnessing cool days with highs struggling statewide to make 70. Yesterday saw Los Angeles top out at 69 degrees with a chilly northerly flow. Today wilkl see highs across California once again struggle to get to 70 as well as Las Vegas as a strong cold core storm spins snowclouds that have dropped 26 inches of snow on Cole Creek, Mont at 7, 850 feet up. Howling winds of 60 to 70 mph with gusts likely 100 or more on exposed ridges are making travel treacherous on mountain highways with blowing and drifting.

The heavy snow will spread across Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and into the Dakotas and with nightime and a departing low pressure for areas that will be buried beneath 20-30 inches of snow, may experience bitter early season cold within high altitude valleys of the West, perhaps tonight will see the first night below zero? 0 to -5 for somewhere like West Yellowstone, Mont?

What amazes me is how just a month ago we saw Glasgow, Mont reach 94 degrees and even some low 100s, yet now Montana can’t get to freezing with blinding snow, bitter wind chills and nights that could quite possibly resemble January rather than early October. Oh and BTW it was just back in June we saw heavy snow in Montana!

Meanwhile record rains have transformed what was one of South Texas’ worst droughts in over 50 years and a brutally hot summer has now become a flood frenzy, with San ASntonio receiving it’s heaviest rains in over 60 years with over 6″ falling… Great news for the drought region of Texas!

Florida on the flip side of the coin will enjoy a day with near or record breaking heat!

Thanks for reading

-Mark