Winter Storm Bulletins target NE Wyoming and Northern Black Hills

Starting Friday evening, rain and snow will start to move into northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana. Winds will begin to pick up out of the NW and gust up to 40-50 MPH. Even if snow accumulations don’t match projections, you only need 1″-2″ of snow to cause major disruptions, given the higher winds.

Anywhere from Sheridan, Wyoming through Sturgis along I-90 will likely be difficult for travel through at least Sunday afternoon due to blowing snow and icy roads. Anywhere east of Sturgis along I-90 including Rapid City and areas east of Rapid City should see diminished impacts with only an inch or two of snow over the same 48 hour period.

Outside of Lawrence County and perhaps Belle Fourche in South Dakota, most of the state should see manageable conditions, with blowing snow from time to time. However, be ready for snow squalls to quickly change driving conditions even if no winter weather bulletins are active for your area.

5″-9″ seems reasonable for the northern hills, with localized areas of southwest Lawrence County in the conversation for a foot or more of snow. There will be a sharp cutoff of snow accumulations as you push further east, particularly around Sturgis/Tilford area.

Stay tuned for updates, as our winter storm watches will likely be replaced by winter storm advisories and winter storm warnings in the next 24 hours.

Our weather department occasionally publishes stories under a byline of “Weather staff.” Most frequently, the “Weather staff” byline is used for straightforward forecasts. At times, this byline is used when a weather story is a collaboration by members of the weather department.