JACKSON, Wyo. – December 2025 was the warmest on record for many locations in Western Wyoming. In the town of Jackson, temperatures were 12.2 degrees above average in December, and it was also the wettest month in town since February 2017. The valley received significant rainfall in December, while the higher elevations received heavy snowfall.
Recent Weather Pattern
The first week of January has been a continuation of what we saw in December with well-above-normal temperatures, but also wet and active weather.
Following a snow event on January 1-2, temperatures warmed up into the 40s in the valley last weekend and rain fell in the valley, while wet, dense snow fell in the Tetons.
Since Monday, temperatures have cooled just enough for accumulating snow to fall in the valley, though temperatures have been hovering near to just above freezing in town.
The Tetons have picked up some good snowfall this week, and skiing conditions continue to improve, though snow has still been wetter and denser than what is typical.
Snow totals through the first 7 days of January have ranged from 27-33 inches in the Tetons above 8,000 feet, while the town of Jackson has received 5.8 inches of snow.
For perspective, the average high and low temperatures in Jackson on January 7 are 26º and 4º.
December 2025 Review
Similar to November, December 2025 was a remarkably warm month across Jackson Hole and Western Wyoming. Most locations in Western Wyoming with good historical records ended up having their warmest December on record. The below graphic is courtesy of our friends at the National Weather Service in Riverton.
In Jackson, historical data prior to 2010 is less reliable and has many gaps, but it appears that this was officially the second-warmest December on record per COOP weather station data, though if you consider data from the JKNW4 weather station, this may have been the warmest on record.
Temperatures in December were 12.2º above average in Jackson, and the anomaly was even higher than that until colder weather arrived during the final few days of the month.
This was the largest temperature departure from average in the last 15 years, and only the second time in the last 15 years that a monthly anomaly was more than 10 degrees warmer or colder than average. The other time was in November 2022, when temperatures were 10.5 degrees colder than average.
Jackson’s long-term average high in December is 30 degrees, but in December 2025, there were only 4 days with a high of lower than 30ºF. By comparison, there were 18 days with a high of at least 40ºF and 5 days with a high of at least 50ºF.
The warmest temperature of the month was 51º, which occurred three times on December 11, 13, and 23, and the coldest temperature of the month was -1º on December 28 and 29.
While December was abnormally warm, it was also a very wet month as frequent storm systems loaded with subtropical moisture impacted the area. This resulted in frequent rain, wet snow, and very strong winds.
The town of Jackson received 5.16 inches of precipitation in December (data from Cocorahs WY-TT-40 and JKNW4 stations), making this the wettest month in town since February 2017, when 5.75 inches were recorded.
Much of what fell in town was in the form of rain, including an impressive 1.21 inches of rain in 24 hours on December 23. You can blame this rain event along with the warm temperatures for the rare “brown Christmas” in the Jackson Hole Valley this year.
The town of Jackson did receive 13 inches of snow in December, but most of what fell melted in the days after during warmer periods. Also, the 13 inches of snow was below average despite precipitation being nearly three times greater than average.
While December was not a great skiing month, given the warm air, wet snow, strong winds, and occasional high elevation rain. It actually turned out to be a snowy month across the higher elevations.
The Rendezvous Bowl and Raymer Plots around 9,500 feet at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort both received over 100 inches of snow in December, which is above the long-term December average of 90 inches.
Grand Targhee received 78 inches of snow in December, which is slightly below its average of 85 inches. Strong west/southwest winds were common with December storms, which led to more significant snowfall spilling over onto the upper eastern slopes of the Tetons.
In terms of snowpack (the depth of the snow on the ground), the discrepancies are very interesting across the higher elevations versus the lower elevations of the Tetons.
Following an active December and an active start to January, snow depth at 9,500 feet at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort on January 7 ranges from 85-87 inches, which is 134% of average. Believe it or not, this is the deepest snowpack at the Rendezvous Bowl Plot on January 7 since 1997!
However, at Jackson Hole’s mid-mountain plot at 8,200 feet, snowpack is right around average at 55 inches, indicating the differences that warm temperatures and higher snow levels and freezing levels have created at times.
Also, on the west side of the Tetons, the snow depth at Grand Targhee is right around average at 9,200 feet.
By comparison, the snow depth at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is only 10 inches, which is the third lowest on record for this date since the mid-1970s and is only 42% of average. It was even worse than this on New Year’s Day, when the snow depth at the base was the lowest on record in 50 years.
Upcoming Weather Pattern
A storm is impacting the Tetons and Jackson Hole on Wednesday and Thursday, and will bring the best skiing conditions of the season so far, thanks to the arrival of colder air on Wednesday night and Thursday. This will result in the storm ending with more powdery snowfall than we have seen lately.
Following this storm, lingering clouds and colder temperatures will prevail heading into the weekend, but conditions will start to dry out.
It looks like this dry spell could last for quite some time as a ridge of high pressure looks to become established across the Western U.S.
This will also result in temperature inversions developing with colder temperatures in the Jackson Hole Valley, while the mountains will see a return to above-average temperatures.
The 7-day snowfall projection from the European Ensemble Model, which represents the average of 50 simulations of this model, shows good snowfall across the Tetons and for much of the Rockies (including Colorado, which has really been struggling this year). But most of this snow will fall on Wednesday and Thursday before a drying trend begins.
Looking further out, a cold front is projected to arrive from the north toward the end of next week as the high pressure ridge migrates westward toward the West Coast. However, little if any moisture is projected to reach the Tetons right now.
Beyond about January 15th, a drier and colder pattern is projected with more of a notherly low as a blocking high-pressure ridge is expected to remain near the West Coast. It remains to be seen how long this dry spell may last.
January Outlook
January is the coldest and snowiest month of the year on average in the Tetons.
In the past 16 years, we have seen temperatures as warm as 49º (in 2012) to as low as -31º (in 2023). Long stretches of below-freezing high temperatures are common in the valley in January, and we can also go through long streaks with lows below zero during dry spells.
However, storms are also common during January, which help to moderate temperatures and break up periods of subzero cold.
The town of Jackson averages 1.54 inches of precipitation and 20.6 inches of snowfall in January. The snowiest January in town in the past 16 years was 35.6 inches in 2020.
Some of the best inbounds skiing often happens in January due to the combination of a deeper snowpack (compared to early season in December), colder temperatures, frequent storms, and a low enough sun angle for snow conditions to stay fresh for longer.
In the Tetons, average snowfall in January is 85 inches at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s Rendezvous Bowl Plot (upper mountain), 82 inches at Jackson Hole Mid-Mountain, and 98 inches at Grand Targhee. Data is courtesy of the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center and BestSnow.net.
The snowiest January on record at the Rendezvous Bowl Plot was 167 inches in 2020, and the snowiest January at Grand Targhee was 187 inches in 1996.
For January of 2026, we are off to a snowy start in the Tetons and also a warm start. However, an upcoming dry spell that has the potential to last for multiple weeks means that this month could potentially end up below-average in terms of snowfall unless the pattern flips in late January (possible but uncertain).
Temperatures should also trend closer to seasonal averages compared to the anomalous warmth experienced in November and December, especially if inversions end up becoming common in the valley, which favors colder temperatures.
Higher elevations are still favored for above-average temperatures this month, but closer to average compared to December. Also, mid to late January has the potential to be much colder overall compared to early January.
Alan Smith, Meteorologist
