A rare July weather phenomena: Freak cold front blankets Northern Rockies

The freak cold front, an unusual meteorological phenomena, swept the Northern Rockies this Monday, July 28, 2015 bringing snow and record-low daytime July temperatures to Idaho.

Late July is usually hot and dry for Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, however, this year, the last week of the month has brought some unusually cold weather conditions to the area.

The National Weather Service has forecasted that the mixture of moist and cold air from Alaska and Canada would settle over the areas of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming until Tuesday, July 29, in a weather form not usually seen in this part of the world before late August or September.

Over 2.54 cm (1 inch) of snow was recorded on Monday at the ski center Jackson Hole in Wyoming, in the mountains across the west of Montana and near Salmon in central Idaho, Reuters reports. Local farmers were warned to cover their crops in order to avoid damage from cold and frost.

Measured temperatures have set records on Monday, as the highest daytime temperature recorded in most of Idaho was about 12 °C (10 °F) lower than usually measured values during this time of July, said Travis Wyatt, a Weather Service meteorologist. "It's very rare for a cold front to move through in July. It has happened before, but it's anomalous", Wyatt explained.

Idaho Falls measured only 20 °C (68 °F), which is below the previously measured record of the coolest daytime temperatures in 1993. Challis, in central Idaho, also measured the coldest maximum daytime temperature of 18.9 °C (66 °F) since July 27, 1940.

Featured image: Snow in July, Idaho, July 27, 2015. Image credit: @BelindaGreb