Big Horn Basin snowfall prompts cautious optimism, changes for farmers

Farmers and ranchers throughout the basin have been watching the snow and rainfall numbers cautiously over the last several months. Wyoming has had an unusually dry winter with historically low snowfall levels after a wet autumn. Shell Creek’s snowfall is hovering around 40% of where it needs to be (8.6 inches accumulated to 21 inches on average) while Kirwin is faring better at roughly 58% (8.8 inches to 15.2 inches on average). Cloud Peak is at 40% (8.2 inches accumulated, 20.4 inches on average), Soldier Park is at 27% (2.5 inches accumulated, 9.4 inches on average), and Sylvan Lake is at 37.5% (10.8 inches accumulated, 28.8 inches on average).