JACKSON, Wyo. – February has been a snowy month across Jackson Hole and the Tetons with over 100 inches of snowfall recorded at the Rendezvous Bowl Plot at 9,580 feet. A relatively quiet pattern has taken hold this week, but a strong storm is possible on Monday, February 26.
Impressive February Snowfall Numbers
Following a light early to mid-winter season in terms of snowfall, we have seen a substantial turn-around in February with well-above-average snowfall in both the Tetons and the Jackson Hole Valley.
A series of storms during a five-day stretch from February 13-17 produced three to four feet of snow in the Tetons and one to two feet of snow in the valleys. Lighter snow fell after this cycle over President’s Day weekend from February 19-21.
So far this month, the Rendezvous Bowl Plot at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has recorded 105 inches of snow, with opportunities to add to that total before the month ends. This makes February the snowiest month at JHMR since last March when 116 inches fell at the Rendezvous Bowl Plot.
February has been a big snow month for the Tetons in recent years. This is the fifth time since 2014 that the Rendezvous Bowl Plot has exceeded 100 inches in February, which is more than any other month over that same timeframe.
Valley snowfall has been very impressive this month as well. The town of Jackson has received 32.6 inches of snow this month at the long-term climate site near the visitor center, while East Jackson (Cocorahs site WY-TT-40) has received 36.1 inches of snow.
This is well above the long-term February average of 13.6 inches in town. Also, nearly 50% of season-to-date snowfall in town has fallen since February 1 as we are now up to 64.7 inches of snow for the season at the long-term climate site and 73.6 inches for the season in East Jackson.
This is also the snowiest February in town since 2019, when Jackson set a February record with 55 inches of snow. In addition, this is the most snow the town of Jackson has received in a single month since January 2020.
Snow King has enjoyed a stellar month as well with 53 inches of snow. February has saved the ski season at the town hill, which has enjoyed a couple of deep powder days in recent weeks.
Further north, the Moran/Jackson Lake weather station has received 60 inches of snow this month, which is more than double the February average of 29 inches.
Here is where stand in terms of season-to-date snowfall by location.
February has been a snowy month across the board, but snowfall in northern and western parts of the Teton Range (including Targhee) as well as Togwotee Pass has not been as heavy compared to the southern part of the range.
We have seen more storms with southwest (or occasionally due south) winds this month, which tends to favor Jackson Hole, Teton Pass, and the Southern Jackson Hole Valley for deeper snow totals compared to Targhee, though Targhee has still done well this month.
In terms of snowpack, we have seen a remarkable comeback based on where we were on New Year’s Day.
Snowpack as measured by water content is now 90% of average in the Upper Snake River Basin, which is a significant improvement from early January when we were around 60% of average.
In terms of base depth (the height of the snow on the ground), we are close to average right now with 96 inches of snow on the ground at Jackson Hole’s Rendezvous Bowl Plot (9,580 feet) and 94 inches of snow on the ground at Grand Targhee’s Snotel site (9,260 feet).
Despite the heavy snow this month, temperatures have continued to be on the milder side compared to normal. So far this month, temperatures are running 3.0ºF above average in the town of Jackson and 2.4ºF above average at Moran/Jackson Lake.
Upcoming Weather Pattern
We are in a lull in the weather pattern right now, but residual moisture from storm’s passing to our south will result in cloudy skies and occasional light snow showers/flurries from late Wednesday night through Friday.
On Saturday, we will see more sunshine, while Sunday is less certain with some models hinting at increased cloud cover along with a slight chance of snow showers.
High temperatures will reach the low to mid 30s in the valley on Thursday before gradually trending warmer in the days to follow with highs in the low 40s expected on Saturday and Sunday.
A strong storm is possible early next week as a trough of low pressure deepens from the Gulf of Alaska into the Pacific Northwest, opening the door to significant moisture and energy from the west.
Most of the snow is likely to fall on Monday and into Monday night with heavy snowfall rates and strong winds possible. Temperatures may stay relatively mild during the storm, but a strong cold front is expected to arrive toward the end of the storm with much colder temperatures likely on Tuesday.
Keep in mind, we are still 5 days away from this storm, so the details could change between now and then.
After Monday/Tuesday, confidence decreases significantly in the weather pattern. Some models are projecting more storms mid to late next week, while others are projecting a few days of drier and warmer conditions.
Here is a 7-day snowfall projection from an average of 50 simulations of the European weather model. Most of this snow is expected on Monday and maybe to a lesser extent Tuesday.
While the pattern mid to late next week could go either way, most longer range models are projecting a more active pattern to resume heading into the weekend of March 2-3 with additional snow opportunities.
Alan Smith, Meteorologist
