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Christmas has come early at Yellowstone National Park after a surprise snowstorm granted visitors an unexpected opportunity to capture stunning photos of the blanketed national park.<\/p>\n
Four to eight inches of snow were forecast<\/a> to fall up until late Monday night with further snowfall also expected early Tuesday as temperatures dropped<\/a> to 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius).<\/p>\n A recent study carried out by the Yellowstone Center for Resources<\/a> noted that the annual amount of snowfall and number of days of snow cover at the park were declining significantly.<\/p>\n This is not the first time, however, the park has been hit by a freak snowstorm. In 2014<\/a> snow came even earlier to the region, sweeping across the park at the end of August.<\/p>\n September temperatures in Yellowstone – which extends into Wyoming, Idaho and Montana – usually range<\/a> between 37 degrees Fahrenheit and 68 degrees Fahrenheit while the average total snowfall for the month is half an inch.<\/p>\n The unexpected wintry blast hasn\u2019t deterred snap-happy enthusiasts who braved the conditions to capture some spectacular photos of America\u2019s first national park.<\/p>\n Yellowstone\u2019s snowfall was also welcomed by firefighters<\/a> who are tackling a wildfire that forced the closure of the park\u2019s south entrance on Monday.<\/p>\n