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Before
February 22, 2017
finally down to "practically" bare pavement |
On Wednesday, February 22 I was thrilled that nearly all the ice and snow had melted on my street and from the parking lots around town: I was clearly getting a case of Spring Fever.
As this
earlier post illustrates, my street was covered with a thick sheet of packed snow and ice since the Christmas Day and two successive January Storms.
The warmer temperatures in mid-February prompted melting snow and premature flooding through the valley along the Wind River . . .
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locally, the small town of Hudson took the brunt of the
melting snowpack from the sustained chinook winds in the
Sinks Canyon area - February 2017 |
and eventually on the Big Horn river further north.
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massive ice jam on the Big Horn River
Worland, WY
February 11, 2017 |
No one expected flooding in February! The premature thaw was brought under control by Mother Nature when the temperature dropped below freezing at night. The flood waters receded and a nice balance of warm days and frigid nights continued.
But . . . it was short-lived, as the day after the bare pavement photo (shown at the beginning of this post) was taken, it snowed and continued to snow into Friday. When the sun finally came out Friday afternoon, approximately 12 inches had fallen, and once more the piles of snow appeared in yards and the streets are again snow-packed.
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After
February 23, 2017 |
According to the National Weather Bureau, Riverton and three other towns (Dubois, Cody, and Rock Springs) have surpassed their
historical record of snow in a designated time frame. I had no idea that I had shoveled 46.7 inches from my driveway and sidewalk from October to February until I read this report:
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| from County 10 online news |
Chances of snow continue through March and sometimes even into May, so the historic snow record will likely not hold for long.
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source
snowplow on Togwotee Pass
by Jakub Knoll
February 2017 |
Undoubtedly the February flooding was only a taste of what is to come, as the snowpack in the mountains is also at historic levels, and water always travels downhill. Everyone in the area is hoping for a slow but steady Spring melt in the mountains and in the valley.
Wow! That is a lot of snow. Glad you had a brief respite, but the flooding is so scary. This is definitely a strange winter weather-wise. One for the books. We've had almost no snow. 70 degrees Saturday, 30 degrees Sunday, should be back to 74 by tomorrow with more strong thunderstorms and wind. Very strange for this time of year.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good thing you like to stay in and do handwork:)
ReplyDeleteThat is a LOT of snow to shovel. We've only had normal snowfall this year so no flooding expected. But we did get that same thaw followed by snow. But we only got 2" - with the 10-12" falling 20 miles south of us.
ReplyDeleteOh my! I can sympathize. We have had SO much snow this year too. We were in a winter storm warning last night again but lo and behold, the storm split in two. Twenty miles north and twenty miles south of us both received over a foot of snow during the night, while we were lucky and only got about 4 inches. I just want to see my front yard again. It's been since the weekend after Thanksgiving since we saw grass and it just keeps snowing. Meanwhile, other parts of the country are warm. Crazy weather! I'll keep you in my prayers for a gentle thaw.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
Aww I'm with Betsy. Prayers for a gentle thaw! We are in for storms today in the form of thunder and I LOVE that kind of weather. It is wonderful to be high on a hill nowadays .
ReplyDeleteSpring weather can be so scary ............hopefully, the snow will melt slowly and not flood.
ReplyDeleteThat is a lot of snow to shovel! I hope that it melts slowly enough not to cause problems, but quickly enough for all who are anxiously awaiting spring.
ReplyDeleteOh my I hope it is a really slow melt, flooding is no fun. I see Pinedale had a bunch of snow too. I am tired of shoveling snow too :)
ReplyDeleteGoodness! And here we are wishing for snow or rain or ANY kind of moisture. Here's hoping that your snow shoveling days are over for the season and that spring will be kind. It will be green - that's for sure! We have green springs about once every 7 or 8 years. Do you not have a young neighbor that will shovel for you?
ReplyDelete