If it's any consolation, we can look forward to a warmer and drier weekend again, and even a somewhat greener spring.

Meanwhile, we have to hang on - to our hats, railings and each other for vertical support - through today, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Weather Service offices in Riverton and Cheyenne.

And those who live in higher elevations will need to dig out from this past weekend especially for those in Willow Creek in Lincoln County, Jackson Hole, Middle Powder in Washakie County, and especially Casper Mountain in Natrona County.

All these places received more than 10 inches of snow, with Casper Mountain topping the charts at between 12 inches and 14 inches.

"It looks like Casper Mountain got the highest amount," said Jim Fahey, a hydrologist with the Riverton NWS office.

Snowpack levels, an indicator of water prospects for the spring and summer, still hover about 25 percent above last year, Fahey said.

The NWS forecasts a few more inches of snow for Natrona County and other areas of the state, Fahey and meteorologist Scott Carpenter of the Cheyenne NWS said.

That's all pretty and happy until the wind blows it on your windshield and in your face.

Today, Natrona County will lean against 40 mph winds, with winds speeds reaching 45 mph tonight, Fahey said. The normal wind speeds are about 25 mph, he added.

Come Tuesday and Wednesday, the western counties will receive and pass to the rest of the state another cold front, more wind and a 40 percent chance of rain and snow on Wednesday, he and Carpenter said.

The Bighorn Mountains could receive significant snowfall, according to the NWS Web site www.crh.noaa.gov/riw.

The rough stuff should begin to calm down starting Thursday, and temperatures will rise to the 40s and maybe up to an unseasonably low 50s by the weekend, Carpenter said.

Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0592, or at Tom.Morton@trib.com.