JACKSON, Wyo. – Winter finally showed up in January this year following an unusually quiet start. The Tetons received nearly 4 feet of snow from January 9-15 and another strong storm will impact the region on Wednesday night.
Warmer air will arrive late this week and into early next week, but an unsettled pattern will continue with chances for light snow accumulations nearly every day.
Recent Snowfall and Weather Conditions
Snow finally returned to the Tetons on January 4 with weak storms bringing light but consistent snowfall to the Tetons initially. A series of strong storms produced heavy snow from January 9-12 with up to 30 inches following across the higher elevations in 72 hours.
Snow has continued to add up since then with only a couple of brief breaks in which arctic air intruded into the region.
From January 9-15, 7-day totals of nearly 4 feet were measured on the upper slopes at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and Grand Targhee, while the town of Jackson (Cocorahs WY-TT-40 station) received 15 inches of snow.
Total snowfall for the month of January (as of January 17 at 5 am) includes 66 inches at Grand Targhee, 59 inches at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s Raymer Plot, 55 inches at Jackson Hole’s Rendezvous Bowl Plot, 46 inches at Jackson Hole’s Mid-Mountain Plot, 26 inches at Snow King, and 17.3 inches in the town of Jackson.
Average snowfall for the month of January (through January 31) is 86 inches, so we have a decent chance of exceeding this threshold in 2024 with two weeks to go. The town of Jackson’s January snowfall average is 18.1 inches, so we will almost certainly exceed this threshold.
Following a slow start to the winter, January is on track to be the snowiest month in the Tetons and Jackson since March of 2023.
Despite the recent uptick, snowpack (the amount of snow on the ground as measured by water content) in the Greater Teton Region is about 73% of average.
Skiing conditions have improved substantially over the past 7-10 days, though on the flip side, avalanche conditions have also become dangerous due to a poor pre-existing snowpack structure.
Another big change over the past couple of weeks has been the arrival of cold air. November and December were much warmer than average, but so far, temperatures in January are running 4.5ºF colder than average in the town of Jackson.
Storms have been coming in with cold air aloft, which has resulted in dry and powdery snow quality for the most part. Also, we saw our first intrusions of arctic air this season on Saturday and again on Monday, resulting in frigid conditions. In Jackson, the temperature plummeted to -25ºF on Monday night – the coldest reading since January 31 of last year.
Upcoming Weather Pattern
A storm is bringing snow to the region on Wednesday and temperatures are also warming up following our latest blast of cold air from earlier in the week.
Snowfall rates have been relatively light to moderate so far, but will become heavy from Wednesday evening through the overnight hours as the strongest part of the storm arrives, and the jet stream noses its way into Western Wyoming.
Winds will also become strong on Wednesday night with gusts to 50-60 mph across the higher terrain and 25-30 mph in the valleys. Road conditions will quickly deteriorate on Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning with areas of blowing snow expected.
Snow accumulations will be significant by Thursday morning, but this snow will be wetter and denser compared to recent events due to warmer air and strong winds. Lighter snowfall will continue on Thursday morning before tapering off by Wednesday afternoon.
Snow totals from this storm will range from 8-16 inches in the Tetons and 2-6 inches in the valley.
The pattern will change a bit from Friday through at least the middle of next week. Weak high pressure will build over the Intermountain West, but frequent storms will pass south and north of our area, and in between, we will see moisture and light snowfall developing regularly.
In fact, we could see new snowfall most days from Friday through mid to late next week, with light snow amounts each day to freshen up the ski slopes and keep snow conditions soft. Winds will also be lighter in this pattern and travel impacts less severe.
Here is a 7-day snowfall projection, which accounts for heavy snow from the Wednesday-Thursday storm, and light snowfall each day thereafter.
Temperatures will be much warmer in this pattern with highs reaching the 30s each day in the valley and 20s in the mountains. Snow quality will be wetter and denser (i.e. less powdery) as a result.
Alan Smith, Meteorologist
