Extreme Temperatures
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Snowflake

October snow in Flagstaff, Arizona 'a bit unusual,' National Weather Service says

Ellie Nakamoto-White
Arizona Republic
Sun, 07 Oct 2018 09:59 UTC
Snowfall on S.R. 87 near Long Valley in northern Arizona, Oct. 7, 2018.
© Arizona Department of TransportationSnowfall on S.R. 87 near Long Valley in northern Arizona, Oct. 7, 2018.
We might be in the first week of October, but northern Arizona is already looking a lot like winter.

Residents in and around Flagstaff woke up to the first snowfall of the season, with the Arizona Snowbowl topping the list at about 6 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Flagstaff.

"Flagstaff typically sees snowfall in the first couple weeks in November, so seeing snow this early is a bit unusual," said Megan Taylor, a meteorologist at the NWS in Flagstaff.

Other areas in northern Arizona also saw snow.

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Snowflake Cold

Winter arrives a month early in Himachal Pradesh, India

Suresh Sharma
Times of India
Sat, 06 Oct 2018 11:12 UTC
Vehicles stranded at Bara-lacha la due to heavy snowfall, some 80 km away from Keylongin Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh
Vehicles stranded at Bara-lacha la due to heavy snowfall, some 80 km away from Keylongin Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh
With parts of upper Himachal receiving several spells of snowfall and high altitude lakes frozen completely, winter this year has arrived at least a month in advance.

Upper regions of Kullu, Kinnaur and Chamba districts and and the entire Lahaul valley have been covered in snow.

Rohtang pass, Baralacha pass, Kunzum pass and all major passes in these districts are covered with snow.

The peaks have witnessed frequent snowfall since early September.

Although peaks receiving snow in September is not new in Himachal, people have not seen such a heavy snowfall in the month.

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Snowflake

From dusting to dumping: Early snowfall in the west of North America - up to 2 feet deep in parts


Onthesnow.com
Fri, 05 Oct 2018 09:31 UTC
Alta was one of many Utah ski areas to receive an early October dusting.
© Rocko Menzyk, Alta Ski AreaAlta was one of many Utah ski areas to receive an early October dusting.
Believe it or not, there's video proof of early October powder turns already surfacing out of the Northern Rockies. A recent storm dropped 2 feet of snow across parts of the region, providing just enough base for some hike-to turns at a local ski area.

While North America has yet to spin its first chairs of the season and declare its first official open ski resort, that's not stopping skiers and riders from seeking out some pre-season turns. Resorts across California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Montana and Washington have received new snow over the last few days, creating some incredible fall scenery.

Scroll through the storm gallery below to see which North American ski resorts have scored early October snow.

Snowbird, Utah

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Snowflake Cold

Blast of winter: Up to 2 feet of snow heads to US Rocky Mountains

Kristina Pydynowski,
Accuweather
Sat, 06 Oct 2018 11:08 UTC
big sky
The first widespread snowstorm of the season is set to excite winter enthusiasts but can cause some travel problems from the Rocky Mountains to the northern High Plains in the upcoming days.

After soaking the Pacific Northwest to end Friday, the storm is expected to track slowly through the Rockies and onto the High Plains this weekend and into Monday.

Small-scale storms have brought snow to parts of these regions already this season, including as recently as Friday. This storm, however, is expected to bring the most far-reaching swath of snow since last winter.

Snow will initially fall in the mountains early in the weekend before spreading to the lower elevations of the northern Rockies and northern High Plains Sunday into Monday.
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Snowflake

Big Sky Resort in Montana receives 6 inches of new snow


kmmsam.com
Fri, 05 Oct 2018 20:20 UTC
Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort
Snow began falling at Big Sky Resort Thursday evening and continued overnight.

The total accumulation of snowfall was right around 6 inches. The snow comes as a welcome gift to those waiting for ski season to arrive. With more snow in the forecast for this weekend and next week, things are looking pretty good for skiers and snowboarders itching to hit the slopes.

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Snowflake

Mammoth ski resort in California sees early snowfall

Alysia Gray Painter
nbclosangeles.com
Thu, 04 Oct 2018 19:12 UTC
Fall foliage in the foreground, snow-capped peaks in the back... This is happening, as of the first weekend of October 2018, in the Eastern Sierra.
© Josh Wray/Visit MammothFall foliage in the foreground, snow-capped peaks in the back... This is happening, as of the first weekend of October 2018, in the Eastern Sierra.
The mere words "opening day" carry so much importance, and even lore, for a ski resort.

After all, that's when the big ribbon is cut with the pair of big scissors, and that's when the slopes open for another multi-month run, and that's when all of the wintry festivals begin to take shape, like so many snowflakes drifting in from parts unknown.

But there's another milestone on the calendar for upper-elevation destinations, and it involves when the first snow occurs.

That moment might happen months before opening day, as it did for Mammoth Mountain in 2017, when snow fell at the very end of summer, or it might nestle up a bit closer to when the schussing is set to start.

Comment: Mount Hood in Oregon is also currently experiencing early snowfall, likewise Mount Charleston in Nevada and on the Grand Mesa in Colorado while Big Sky Resort in Montana has received 6 inches of new snow.

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Snowflake

October snow in Montana making it difficult for some ranchers to reach their cattle

Kasey Herman
kbzk.com
Fri, 05 Oct 2018 15:05 UTC
snow blocked
Wintry weather arrived in Montana several days ago, with more intense storms that followed this week.

Laura Monroe and her husband Hughie said that the 14 inches of snow currently on their land on the Milk River Ridge, which is north of Browning, has made it nearly impossible for them to reach their 250 cattle.

They were set to ship their calves this first weekend in October to Great Falls, but they had to cancel this year.

"They're under enough stress right now, we don't want to add more stress to them trying to get them out of knee-deep snow," she said.


Comment: See also this recent report: 13 inches of early snowfall overnight for Browning, Montana

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Snowflake

Early snow on the Grand Mesa, Colorado

Nikki Sheaks
kjct8.com
Thu, 04 Oct 2018 14:54 UTC
snow
After such a hot summer, any amount of snow seems almost unbelievable.

However, a disturbance that moved in Thursday morning, brought some winter weather to the Grand Mesa.

"We had a very strong system come through today," said Dennis Phillips, National Weather Service.

It brought thunderstorms to Grand Junction, but a dusting of snow, and hail, to the Mesa.

It caught some people by surprise.

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Snowflake Cold

Record-breaking cold temperatures and snowfall amounts (almost 2 feet) recorded across British Columbia

Tiffany Crawford
Vancouver Sun
Thu, 04 Oct 2018 09:02 UTC
Record-breaking cold temperatures
© Jason Payne/ PNGRecord-breaking cold temperatures were recorded across the province yesterday.
Environment Canada says B.C. broke 39 cold-weather records Wednesday, as an Arctic front swept across the province.

Matt MacDonald, a meteorologist with the national weather agency, said there were 14 daytime records broken, 18 overnight lows smashed and seven new records for the most snowfall on Oct. 3, including a whopping 59 centimetres of snow in Sparwood, east of Fernie.

He said the front whipped down from the north and clashed with moisture from the Pacific Ocean. MacDonald said more records may be broken overnight, but it's not likely to be as cold as Wednesday.

"We are waking up to some frosty mornings," he said, adding that in Metro Vancouver, although the overnight low was around 2ºC, frost still accumulated on the ground.

The record-breaking temperature for cold in B.C. on Wednesday was Clinton, where -14.2ºC was recorded, smashing the old mark of -5 set in 2012.
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Snowflake

Early snow falls on Mount Charleston, Nevada

Kelsey Thomas
news3lv.com
Thu, 04 Oct 2018 08:43 UTC
snow
Mount Charleston is getting its first taste of winter.

A dusting of snow in the mountains Thursday caught people by surprise.

Las Vegas just had the hottest September on record and now four days into October, we're seeing snow.

The cooler weather brought plenty of people up the mountain to enjoy the outdoors.

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