ROCK SPRINGS — How often does it rain in December? Residents in Sweetwater County looking outside Wednesday afternoon may have had that question pop in their head as they watched rainfall get blown against their windows by heavy winds. 

According to the National Weather Service in Riverton, it’s an uncommon event, but not completely unheard of. Unfortunately, tracking down the last time it rained during December in Sweetwater County is a difficult prospect. Taylor Wittmann, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Riverton said while the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport’s precipitation measuring instruments are accurate, they only measure fluid precipitation and don’t highlight the specific types of moisture recorded. 

While it’s hard to determine when the last time a December rain fell in Sweetwater County, Wittmann said it does happen in Wyoming. Specifically in Jackson Valley and Star Valley, a warm front can blow through the area and result in rainfall occurring around Christmas. Wittmann said local temperatures have been unusually warm, being 20-30 degrees higher than they typically are during December. He said the current forecasts calls for the county to dry out Thursday before heavy winds return Friday.

Some snowfall is expected to fall in western Wyoming Friday evening and leading into Saturday morning, with a “dusting” of snow possible at the higher elevations within Sweetwater County. He said temperatures are expected to remain around 40 degrees.