At a Glance

You may think of it as the "dog days," but some parts of the U.S. have seen snow in August.This mainly has happened in the mountain West and Alaska.But some lower elevations in the West have had a blanket of August snow.

August is known more for its broiling heat, but it turns out snow is also possible in this core summer month.

You just have to be in the right place to experience it.

Snow isn't uncommon in some of the highest peaks of the Rockies during August or any of the other summer months. Snow fell in Colorado's high country on Aug. 20 of last year, in one such example. at Berthoud Pass for a time.

But there are other locations at lower elevations in the West that have seen at least a dusting of August snow, including several cities in Montana, as the map below shows.

A sampling of locations, other than the highest mountain peaks, that have picked up August snow in their historical record.

(Data: NOAA)

August 1992: 'An Unprecedented Weather Event'

One of the most extreme examples of August snow happened in 1992 when a bizarre winter storm the National Weather Service called "" blanketed parts of Montana.

Great Falls picked up 8.3 inches of snow from August 22-23, the first and only time measurable snow that was recorded during the month in this northern Montana city since 1886.

Most of the snow accumulated on grassy areas. The weight of this wet snow brought down some tree limbs around the city.

Montana's capital city, Helena, picked up 6.2 inches of snow and 2 inches was recorded in Bozeman on the Montana State University campus.

While each of these locations is lower in elevation than Denver, they are hundreds of miles farther north, so the magnitude of cold air trapped against the eastern slope of the Rockies allowed snow to reach the ground.

Record low temperatures were set in parts of Montana for eight of 10 days from August 21-30, including all-time August lows that still stand in Billings (35 degrees), Butte (23 degrees), Great Falls (30 degrees) and Helena (28 degrees).

If this August snowstorm wasn't shocking enough, consider the heat it followed.

Great Falls topped out at 95 degrees just three days before the snowstorm. Missoula, Montana, soared to 100 degrees on August 14.

Other August Snow Notables

Yellowstone National Park picked up snow on August 23, 1960. An observing site on the north side of Yellowstone Lake measured 3 inches there. Breckenridge, one of Colorado's most famous ski towns, picked up an inch of snow on August 14, 1978, providing an early tease for skiers and snowboarders itching to hit the slopes. The Washington and Oregon Cascades can certainly see August snow. Mt. Rainier's Paradise Ranger Station measured 0.5 inch of snow on August 21, 1960. Vacationers in Oregon's Crater Lake National Park may have been surprised by a 4.5-inch snowfall on August 15-16, 1976.Alaska's North Slope and Brooks Range typically pick up August snow. America's northernmost city, Utqiagvik - formerly known as Barrow - averages 0.9 inches of snow each August, and can see snow year-round. Other interior Alaska cities that have also picked up August snow include Bettles (Aug. 9, 1969 - 2.6 inches), McGrath (Aug. 26, 1998 - 0.9 inch), Northway (Aug. 10, 1969 - 3 inches) and Tok (Aug. 13, 1969 - 3.2 inches).Snow even reached the typically-milder Alaskan coast in August. Yakutat, about 200 miles west-northwest of Juneau, once measured snow on August 31, 1922 (1.5 inches).

Anywhere in the Midwest or East?

August snow is virtually nowhere to be found from the Plains to the East.

Most areas in the East and Midwest typically see their by either November or December.

Even typical cold spots like International Falls, Minnesota; Marquette, Michigan; and Caribou, Maine, have to wait until middle or late September for their record earliest measurable snow.

There is one exception.

Sitting atop a 6,288-foot peak in the White Mountains of northern New Hampshire, the is the world's most extreme weather reporting station.

A measured in 1934 atop the rocky peak is probably their most famous weather observation.

A twilight view from the summit of Mt. Washington, New Hampshire.

(mountwashington.org)

Summer hikers to the summit should know that snow can never be completely ruled out there.

The August record snowfall there was 2.5 inches on Aug. 29-30, 1965.

So, if you plan to escape a hot, humid place and head to the mountain West in August, this is a cautionary tale.

While the chances are very low, don't be surprised by a few August flakes flying.

(Thanks to research meteorologist Jared Rennie from the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies for his considerable assistance with analyzing the data for this piece.)

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