December has seen severe winter weather hitting all over the United States. The National Weather Service (NWS) has been issuing winter storm watches and warnings, as well as alerts for cold and wind, on a daily basis.
Early Tuesday morning, the NWS office in Riverton, Wyoming published a new Winter Storm Watch for the mountains of central, northwest, and west central Wyoming from late tonight into Wednesday. Included in the territories under this notice was Yellowstone National Park.
Yellowstone in line for ‘heavy snow’
According to the NWS warning, Yellowstone is in the path of what is shaping up to be a gnarly mix of snow, strong winds and overall hazardous conditions.
“Heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations 6 to 12 inches above 8000 feet possible, with amounts greater than 16 inches at the highest elevations. Widespread westerly winds gusting 40 to 60 mph, with isolated stronger winds,” the NWS said.
Other areas covered under the “Winter Storm Watch” are the Absaroka Mountains, Teton and Gros Ventre Mountains, Wind River Mountains West, Wind River Mountains East and the Salt River and Wyoming Ranges, including the cities of Lake, Old Faithful, and Mammoth.
“Travel will likely be very difficult, especially along mountain passes like Teton, Togwotee, and South Pass due to a combination of strong winds and falling snow reducing visibilities,” the NWS added.
Winds close to 75 mph are possible in some places, such as the eastern Absaroka and Wind River Mountains. The heaviest snow is projected to fall between 1 a.m. and noon local time Wednesday.
Yellowstone’s winter season just started
Monday marked the official start of Yellowstone’s winter season, which runs through mid-March. During this time, visitors can access most of the park’s roads via either “approved commercially guided snowmobiles and snowcoaches or the non-commercially guided snowmobile access program.”
“Currently, the accumulation of snowfall on roads varies across the park,” says the official Yellowstone website. “This means that visitors will be able to travel in the park, however, the type of transportation used on park roads by commercially guided snowmobile or snowcoach tour companies will depend on road conditions.”
Only a select few roads are open to normal vehicles year-round, with the rest becoming accessible again in April.
For more information on visiting Yellowstone National Park in December, click here.
