Residents in two states were given minutes to act on Tuesday morning after National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists issued a “life-threatening” snow squall warning in Wyoming and Colorado.
The snow squall warning alerted people to heavy snow and strong winds that could cause visibilities to plummet rapidly. Snow squalls can cause deadly traffic accidents for these reasons. The warning comes as the western U.S. is walloped by a series of back-to-back winter storms set to dump as much as 8 feet on the highest elevations this week.
At 7:45 a.m. local time, the NWS offices in Denver, Colorado, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, issued the snow squall warnings.
What Is a Snow Squall?
The NWS defines snow squalls as being a wintertime weather hazard that can strike suddenly and last less than an hour.
“The sudden white-out conditions combined with falling temperatures produce icy roads in just a few minutes,” an NWS webpage about snow squalls said. “Squalls can occur where there is no large-scale winter storm in progress and might only produce minor accumulations. Snow squalls can cause localized extreme impacts to the traveling public and to commerce for brief periods of time. Unfortunately, there is a long history of deadly traffic accidents associated with snow squalls. Although snow accumulations are typically an inch or less, the added combination of gusty winds, falling temperatures and quick reductions in visibility can cause extremely dangerous conditions for motorists.”
These warnings usually unfold quickly, and NWS warning coordination meteorologist Greg Heavener told Newsweek it’s entirely possible there will be a resurgence in the conditions that created the snow squall later in the day on Tuesday and on Wednesday.
Wyoming Snow Squall Warning
The warning was issued for southeastern Albany County and southwestern Laramie County, both in southeast Wyoming, including Happy Valley, Federal, Table Mountain Ranches, Willadsen Estates, Rocking Star Ranch, Tie City Campground, Granite Canon, Harriman Heights, Vedauwoo, Tie Siding, Crystal Lake Reservoir, Pumpkin Vine, Vedauwoo Campground, Buford, North Crow Campground, Granite Springs Reservoir, Ames Monument, Horse Creek, Curt Gowdy State Park, and Pine Grove Estates.
Colorado Snow Squall Warning
In Colorado, the warning was in effect for northeastern Larimer County, including the areas of Stove Prairie, Pennock Pass, Mishawaka, Poudre Park, Livermore, Virginia Dale, Buckhorn Mountain, Cherokee Park, Red Feather Lakes, Teds Place, Rustic, Pingree Park, Laporte, Owl Canyon, Buckeye and Waverly.
Heavy Snow Forecast
Both alerts warned of “intense bursts of heavy snow” that, when accompanied by strong winds, would quickly become dangerous and “life-threatening”
“Dangerous and life-threatening travel conditions are expected to develop rapidly in the warning area,” NWS Denver said in the alert. “Slow Down! Rapid changes in visibility and road conditions are expected with this dangerous snow squall. Be alert for sudden whiteout conditions.”
“Gusty winds leading to blowing snow and visibility rapidly falling to less than one-quarter mile,” NWS Cheyenne said in the warning. “Wind gusts greater than 50 mph could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects.”
Both snow warnings were set to remain in effect for around 30 minutes, although similar warnings could be issued in surrounding areas as the storm continues to progress. In addition to the snow squall warning, both states also had various winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories in place on Tuesday.
People living in the impacted areas are urged to monitor local weather forecasts as conditions can change rapidly, especially when it comes to snow squalls.
