WLM | explore
WLM | explore
Snow leaves behind a visual marker of geographic microclimates and the influence that terrain has on our weather . I have come to notice that Jackson Hole in the summer has more trees to the west and southwest , with just grass over the National Elk Refuge and points
north and east . After the first snowstorm of the year in the valley , it still surprised me that the western and southwestern sections of the valley had snow cover , whereas the Elk Refuge was dry . Could one thousand foot hills just to the west of town really block a snowstorm ?
Logic would have it that the Salt River Range receives more snow than the Wyoming Range ( as the Wyoming Range is to the east ) yet after taking an April flight over the eastern edge of the Wyoming Range , seasonal snowpack was clearly deeper , likely a product of upslope snowfall coming in from low pressure zones in Colorado , feeding Gulf moisture that cannot make it any further west than that range .
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36 Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Winter & Holiday 2016
Of course , Yellowstone tells its own story , showing off immense snowfall on the western and southwestern side of the park , with displays of rime ice crystals prevalent on western facing ascents and slopes , with snowfall rapidly trailing off as one descends to the northeast .
Curiosities abound with winter weather . One morning , I noted what appeared to be a fog bank sitting over the Palisade Reservoir , which is nothing terribly unusual on a cold morning any time of year . As the engine requires about 15 minutes to warm up in winter before takeoff , I decided that I had missed the boat . I had gotten up too late , and that was that . Two hours later , the “ fog ” was still there , and the light bulb went off in my head : “ The cloud is forming