Western US Daily Snow
By Alan Smith, Meteorologist Posted 10 hours ago June 20, 2025
Snow for the Northern Rockies this Weekend
Summary
A cold low pressure system will track across the Northwest and Northern Rockies over the weekend, bringing rain and high elevation snow to the Cascades and Northern Rockies along with chilly temperatures. Early next week, moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Erick in the Eastern Pacific will reach New Mexico with heavy rain possible, while Colorado will also see an uptick in thunderstorms.
Short Term Forecast
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Friday Afternoon Conditions:
A storm system is already impacting the Northwest on Friday with showers developing over the Cascades and Interior Ranges, while thunderstorms have been tracking across Montana.
Here is our radar map as of 4:50 pm Mountain Time on Friday:
To the south, wildfires have been growing over the past several days near the Mexico border, across Southern Utah, and in Western Wyoming. Smoke from these fires may lead to hazy conditions at times across the Central Rockies and the Southwest this weekend.
Here is our smoke (sky) forecast map on Friday afternoon:
5-Day Temperature Outlook (June 21-25):
A strong cold front will move across the West this weekend with below-normal temperatures expected across most of the West over the next 5 days. This will be a welcome break from the heat for many areas before we enter our two hottest months of the year.
Saturday (June 21):
On Saturday, a cold front will work its way across the Rockies with a Pacific low pressure system centered over Idaho. Rain and high-elevation snow will continue from the West Coast to the Northern Rockies.
Snow levels will range from 5,000-7,000 feet across the Cascades, and Glacier National Park in Montana will see snow levels dipping to around 6,000 feet. Further south in Montana and Wyoming, snow levels will be closer to 8,000-9,000 feet initially.
Most of the Southwest and Central Rockies will stay dry on Saturday, but a few isolated thunderstorms may develop over Southern New Mexico in the afternoon. These will likely be "dry" thunderstorms, producing gusty winds and minimal rainfall.
Sunday (June 22):
Showers will become fewer and lighter over the Cascades as the system tracks eastward (a bit more coverage along/east of the Cascade crest), with the focus of more widespread showers remaining over the Northern Rockies.
Snow levels will range from 6,000 to 8,000 feet over the Northern Rockies.
Further south, the leading edge of tropical moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Erick will reach Southern New Mexico with scattered thunderstorms developing. Unlike Saturday, these storms will be more numerous in coverage and have the potential to produce heavy rainfall along with localized flash flooding.
Saturday-Sunday Precipitation Totals:
The map below is a 2-day precipitation projection from the European weather model.
The next map is a snowfall projection, with heavy mountain snowfall expected across the higher terrain of Central Idaho and Southwest Montana, and also along the BC/Alberta border in the Canadian Rockies.
Monday (June 23):
This is shaping up to be a more active weather day across a larger portion of the West, and we have a few regions to look at.
First, a trailing weaker trough will move into the Interior Northwest and Northern Rockies, resulting in another uptick in showers and thunderstorms from the Washington Cascades to Montana.
Temperatures will be increasing compared to the weekend's chilly values, and snow levels will be higher as a result. Also, there is a better chance of thunderstorms on Monday afternoon with a bit more instability compared to Sunday.
A cold front will also stall near the Continental Divide in Colorado, with increasing moisture behind the front resulting in an uptick in thunderstorms over the eastern ranges of Wyoming and Colorado. Another trough approaching from the southwest will aid in thunderstorm development as well.
To the south, tropical moisture will continue to stream into New Mexico from the south, resulting in more numerous thunderstorms covering a greater portion of New Mexico. Heavy rainfall rates are expected with thunderstorms, and there will also be a higher risk of flash flooding.
And finally, an upper-level low pressure area moving into California will help to trigger scattered afternoon thunderstorms across the Sierra Nevada Range, including the Tahoe area. Storms will generally produce light to moderate rain, but localized brief downpours are possible.
Tuesday (June 24) to Wednesday (June 25):
Heading into the middle of the week, the moist southerly flow over New Mexico will extend northward into Colorado with thunderstorms expected.
Most of New Mexico will be favored for thunderstorms and heavy rainfall again, while in Colorado, southern and eastern mountain ranges, including the San Juans, Sangres, and Front Range, will be the most favored for thunderstorms with more isolated to scattered activity expected across Central and Western Colorado.
A surface low pressure area will also set up in the Colorado/Wyoming border vicinity, with southeast winds on the east side of the low transporting Gulf moisture into Central and Eastern Wyoming. Areas along and east of the Divide in Wyoming, such as the Winds and Bighorns, will be favored for thunderstorms with moderate to heavy rain possible.
A weaker trough will also track across the Northwest with isolated showers and thunderstorms developing over the Cascades and Northern Rockies. Rainfall will be much lighter and more spotty in coverage compared to prior days.
Rainfall Totals - Monday (June 23) to Wednesday (June 25):
Three-day rainfall during the first half of next week will favor New Mexico with substantial amounts possible, while Eastern Colorado and Eastern Wyoming should also pick up some impressive totals.
Extended Forecast
Outlook for June 26-30:
Later next week, a return to above-normal temperatures is expected across most of the West, with the exception being New Mexico, where higher levels of moisture and cloud cover will favor below-normal temperatures.
Rainfall amounts and flooding potential are expected to be less extreme over New Mexico during the second half of next week as moisture levels ease up somewhat.
However, a southerly flow will continue with an early-season monsoonal pattern taking shape, which will continue to result in near-daily rounds of thunderstorms across much of New Mexico and Colorado. This early monsoon pattern will be easterly-based, so Arizona and Utah will continue to see a drier pattern.
To the north, disturbances will continue to track across the Northern Rockies with frequent thunderstorms expected across Montana and Northern Wyoming.
Outlook for Early July:
The longer-range outlook is favoring above-normal temperatures for most of the West heading into July, though the monsoon should continue to become established with above-average precipitation favored across the Southwest and Southern Rockies. Arizona and Utah may see increasing rainfall potential as well.
Thanks so much for reading and have a great weekend! Next update on Monday (June 23).
Alan Smith
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