Heavy dose of springtime snow in the Rockies

Old Man Winter isn’t done with the Rockies quite yet, even though it’s mid-April. Periods of heavy snow and gusty winds will slam the region over the next two days.

Snowstorms aren’t unusual this time of year, but shippers and carriers should expect some minor to moderate supply chain disruptions due to the wintry conditions. Truckers will have to chain up.

The storm system, which began Tuesday night, will continue to dump accumulating snow mostly in the central and northern Rockies of Colorado and Wyoming; the Wasatch Range in Utah; as well as the Plains in eastern Colorado and western portions of South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. Major cities in the potential impact zone include Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Denver, affecting travel on sections of Interstates 25, 70 and 80. Smaller cities in the storm’s path include Laramie and Riverton, Wyoming; Rapid City, South Dakota; Scottsbluff, Nebraska; as well as Goodland, Kansas.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for many of the high elevations in Wyoming. Subranges in the Rockies, like the Snowy Mountains, Laramie Range, Green Mountains, Rattlesnake Range and the Salt River Range, could see up to 12 inches of total snowfall, with isolated spots of up to 24 inches. Some high elevations west of Denver could see up to 10 inches of snow, while 4 to 8 inches could pile up in many low elevations and Plains locations.