Yellowstone Weather Warning
 

My brother just called me from Old Faithful. They are expecting 2-5 in. of snow today and another 4-11 in. tomorrow. There is 4 ft. of snow on the Mystic Falls trail. He said many people are not dressed properly for the unexpected weather. With the winds, it is very chilly. Also, if you are renting a car, be sure to pick up a scraper. He was using a credit card to try to clean his windshield.

Wow -- it sure looks cold on the webcam. We just got back last week and had to use a credit card to scrape a thin layer of ice off our windows a couple of the mornings when we got up at 5:30am. When we went back down Jackson way the day we left people heading up to Yellowstone were generally dressed in cropped pants and flip flops. Getting out at viewpoints and shivering. We still had our hiking boots and long sleeve shirts on. Hope people read your post. You just never know from day to day what the weather will be out there -- especially at this time of year.

Good friends are there now (i helped plan their trip)and i've been hoping the weather channel was mistaken, LOL I told them definitely hoodies, jeans and jackets - just in case - sure hope they listened.

Maj, can you post the link to the webcam? I somehow lost it. Thanks.

It snowed when I was camping there in late June five years ago. The lesson is to always be prepared, because you never know about the weather.

fodorites,

A hoodie is NOT going to cut it in the Rockies at night - even midsummer on a "warm" night. Bring a WARM jacket/parka and hat minimum. Gloves can be greatly appreciated hiking on a cold day. Other good layers are windbreaker weight and fleece vests. Sometimes you might want to wear both at the same time, believe me.

Dayle, i'm sure you're right. Several mornings even in mid-july i wished i had gloves. Maybe we were just lucky but we were always fine during the day and then evenings with hoodies, windbreakers and jeans.

However, regarding our friends there now: until i mentioned it to them, they were packing shorts and tees. Seriously.

Ellen

http://www.nps.gov/yell/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm

They can always buy warmer clothes while there. Even the general stores had a pretty good supply of things in the park. I imagine they do a pretty good business.

My sister-in-law brought running gloves, and her hands were freezing waiting for Old Faithful to erupt. She bought the last pair of winter gloves at the General Store. Even though it can snow in summer, this weather is very unusual. Their stock of winter gear may be out; so bring whatever you may need.

"However, regarding our friends there now: until i mentioned it to them, they were packing shorts and tees. Seriously."

That's very optimistic of them given MT's and WY's usual June temps. :)

I never go anywhere, any month of the year, without a jacket and hat and gloves in the trunk of the car. Mornings and evenings are always cool, even in August.

Oh dear, just began making lodging reservations for next June and this is rather worrisome. We actually are at our worst in HOT weather and heard that the baby animals are so cute in June so that's why we made plans for that month rather than July/August (also a bit easier RIGHT after the kids get out of school). Cool weather is fine but is big SNOW normal for mid June?
(we'd arrive around 6/17)

I believe this weather is very unusual. We have visited in early-mid June and in early July and saw no snow even at the high passes. You ought to be fine, although with the weather all over lately, who knows?

I had already planned to pack warmly for my trip to Glacier National Park next week, but I'm reconsidering my packing list even as I type.

Layers, layers, layers! It's a hassle, but it seems like Yellowstone is just like that, especially in May/June.

It gets cold at night, and we've had snow every month of the year. It's not typical, but it happens. You'll want a jacket for evenings and early mornings.

We fly in this Friday 6/20 and depart 6/28.

We're Floridians so anyting under 60 degrees is freezing to us! The forecast now says 60's and 70's during the day and about 40 at night. We are packing jackets, sweatshirts, along with long sleeved shirts and t-shirts and will layer as needed.

We are very excited for our trip!

According to the Orland Sentinel the low at Yellowstone Lake was 29° yesterday. Expect cool nights and warm days.

We were there during this time. There's pictures from around the park then if you're interested on our website.

http://www.alandsuejohnson.com/yello..._trip_2008.htm

We heard about the snow at OFI but when we were there, it all melted. It looked like another one was coming but it dumped somewhere else.

We had several layers of rain gear, fleece and assorted layers. The big thing for us was having a layer that would break the wind. Even with the temps in the low 40s, it was nasty because of the high winds. My wife frequently wore her rain pants as a layer to stop the wind.

Had a great time in spite of all that.

Unfortunately, a lot of people assume that summer=hot weather everywhere in the U.S. They don't realize how cold mountain regions can be.
I attended a June conference in Snowbird, Utah. We were living in the Pacific NW at the time and were familiar with high mountain weather, so I brought a few warm weather things for indoor wear but also packed sweaters, wool slacks, a pair of gloves and a down-filled jacket (it compressed easily in a suitcase).

It snowed three of the five nights we were there. The conference organizers were from Phoenix, AZ, and Florida and it simply didn't occur to them to tell people to bring clothes for cold weather. They shivered in misery every time they stepped outdoors.

The Snowbird shopkeepers were very happy, however. Instead of purchasing just souvenir t-shirts and the like, the 200 attendees swarmed like locusts over the ski jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts, and long underwear, buying out the entire leftover winter stock.

This past Sunday, June 21, was Snowbird's last day of skiing for the season. They closed with 80 inches still on the ground. Not unusual, but a good snow year.

Wildflowers in Albion Basin may be a bit late this year.

I'm heading to Yellowstone and Paradise Valley, MT in a week and a half. Part camping and part lodging trip. Believe me, I am going prepared.