Spring Storm Drops Snow From Rockies to Midwest

A spring storm rolled across the Rockies and into the plains on Friday, dumping up to 8 inches of snow on some areas but providing welcome moisture to parched regions of Wyoming.

The storm spread snow across parts of Colorado, Wyoming, the Dakotas and Nebraska. Rain mixed with snow at higher elevations stretched from the Pacific Northwest to the Southwest and east to the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa.

Snow advisories were posted over parts of northwestern Nebraska, where snowfall totals ranged from 8 inches at Alliance, 5 inches at Mullen and 4 inches at Scottsbluff.

‘Thought Spring Was Here’

“It surprises all of us, actually. We thought spring was here,” said Terry Rust, a dispatcher with the Box Butte County Sheriff’s Department. “A couple days ago you could go without a coat. . . . We’re ready for spring.”

Two to 5 inches of new snow was forecast for parts of South Dakota, with winter storm watches posted for the region overnight and heavy snow expected.

Snow advisories were in effect for southwestern Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, where forecasts warned of up to 6 inches of snow.

Ten inches of new snow blanketed Williams, Ariz., while Flagstaff received 5 inches in three hours early Friday.

Two Traffic Deaths

Advisories for snow and sleet were posted across Minnesota, where up to 3 inches of heavy, wet snow that fell Thursday caused traffic accidents blamed for at least two deaths.

Snow and rain were reported across northern Wyoming, and the National Weather Service cautioned livestock owners that they might need to shelter their young or weak animals.

Additional snowfalls were expected to total an inch or less, but agriculture officials said farmers and ranchers were grateful for whatever they received. An unusually dry winter and early spring has left much of the state’s farm and grasslands parched.

Temperatures dipped below freezing from the northern plains through the lower Great Lakes on Friday, with readings dropping into the upper teens across North Dakota and Minnesota.