At a Glance

A weather pattern change is bringing snow to the northern Rockies early this week.The first winter weather advisories of the season for the Lower 48 have been issued.

August is ending with a taste of winter weather in the northern Rockies as snow blankets the highest elevations.

Winter weather advisorieshavebeen issued by the National Weather Service for parts of the Rockies of Montana and Wyoming, where the NWS said a few inches of wet snow is possible into early Tuesdayabove 6,000 feet in elevation.

Theseare the first winter weather advisoriesto be issued by the NWS anywhere in the Lower 48 for the upcoming snow season. Early June was the was issued in the Lower 48 as a .

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Impacts will be limited from this early-season snow, but the NWS said higher elevations of the Beartooth Highway, one route connecting southwestern Montana to Yellowstone National Park, could have hazardous travel conditions and may have closuresat times.

An inch of snow was measured Monday morning in grassy areas at Logan Pass in Montana's Glacier National Park.

Accumulating snow isexpected in the highest peaks of northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Montana and adjacent portions of Idaho.

Snow is not uncommon in the . In fact, at the beginning of this past July, illustrating that flakes can occasionally fly through the air at any time during the summer months in the high country of this region.

Snow can also occur in valley locations during the tail end of August.Great Falls, Montana, saw its earliest snow on Aug. 22, 1992, the same year its only below-freezing temperatures were recorded in August.

Southward plunges of the jet stream moving over the region this time of year can allow just enoughcold air and moisture to intermingle and produce accumulating snow. That's the type of weather pattern we are seeing early this week.

This plunge of the jet stream is also helping to scour out wildfiresmoke that has been plaguing the Northwest recently.