By Mary Gilbert, AccuWeather meteorologist
Mother Nature is reminding residents across the Rockies and High Plains that winter isn't quite ready to throw in the towel just yet.
A storm is spreading southward with snow across the Rockies and High Plains into Thursday night, with record cold plunging in behind it.
The bulk of accumulating snowfall has ended across Montana, where 5-10 inches of snow fell across the higher terrain and led to slippery travel at midweek.
8am: Wet snow continues to accumulate over all our mountain passes, extending from the Rocky Mountain Front through central and southwest Montana. Snow will end from north to south through mid day. Be prepared for variable road conditions. #mtwx
The snow expanded into Wyoming, Idaho and northern Colorado Wednesday afternoon into Wednesday night. The Wyoming Department of Transportation reported that some roadways were beginning to turn slick with blowing snow and reduced visibility late Wednesday.
This radar image from Wednesday night shows snow (blue) falling across Wyoming as well as northern Colorado and Utah. (AccuWeather)
The snow also helped Boulder, Colorado, break a record that stood for more than a century. The city received about a foot of snow from the latest storm and a light snow was still falling Thursday morning, pushing its seasonal total to 145.9 inches. The eclipsed the old seasonal snowfall record of 142.9 inches from 1908-09.
Into Thursday evening, the swath of snow will expand south and east through Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska.
Southern and western Wyoming through central Colorado could pick up an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 24 inches of snowfall with this storm.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Cheyenne, Wyoming, is lagging behind on their average snowfall for the month of April, but should make up significant ground with this storm.
AccuWeather meteorologists expect a storm total of 6-12 inches of snow to fall over the city through Thursday.
“Essential workers who must venture out on the roadways should use caution as slushy and slippery conditions are expected to develop,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff.
Winds are also anticipated to become gusty over the northern Rockies as the storm continues to strengthen.
“Gusty winds may cause further disruptions due to reduced visibility from blowing and drifting snow,” said Duff.