JACKSON, Wyo. — We’re heading into a classic spring roller-coaster pattern in Jackson Hole. A strong storm is underway at the time of this writing with snow and high winds expected through Monday night, followed by much colder temperatures and continued strong winds on Tuesday.
Warmer and drier weather will return Wednesday-Friday, followed by colder and more unsettled weather this weekend.
March 28 – April 3 Recap
Last week started out with warm temperatures on March 28, followed by more seasonal temperatures but continued dry conditions through this past weekend.
On Thursday (3/31), locally heavy snow showers impacted northern and western portions of the Teton Range with 4 inches reported at Grand Targhee along with inclement weather that contributed to a high elevation rescue operation in GTNP.
The southern end of the Tetons and Jackson Hole stayed dry during this event, although the upper elevations of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort did report an inch of new snow on Saturday morning (4/2).
The warmest temperature during the past week in the Town of Jackson was 62ºF on March 28 and the coldest temperature was 16ºF on April 3.
March 2022 Monthly Recap
Snowfall in March was greater than in February, but still below average in the Tetons. This was the third consecutive month of below-average winter snowfall.
Through the first three weeks of March, we actually received several decent snow events along with one major storm that produced up to 20 inches of snow in 24 hours at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort on March 8-9.
However, the final 10 days of March were dry and warm with no new snowfall. Total snowfall for the month of March was 46 inches at JHMR’s Rendezvous Bowl Plot (elevation 9,580 feet), which is below the historical average of 66 inches. Total seasonal snowfall at the end of March was 320 inches, which is well below the average value of 394 inches.
Snowfall in the Town of Jackson ended up right around average for the month of March with 7.9 inches recorded, compared to a historical average of 7.7 inches. Snowpack at the Jackson Hole official weather station melted out (i.e. snow depth reached 0 inches) on March 24.
Snow depth at the Rendezvous Bowl Plot was only 71 inches on March 31, making this the lowest snowpack year for the end of March since 2007.
Forecast for Monday (4/4) to Sunday (4/10)
Our dry spell is coming to an end on Monday with a strong storm beginning to impact the region. Heavy snow is falling in the Tetons as of early Monday afternoon and temperatures have fallen from an early day high in the mid-40s in the valley into the low/mid-30s with heavy, wet snow falling in the Town of Jackson.
In addition to snowfall, a major wind event is expected from Monday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon. The strongest winds will occur on Monday night with gusts of 65 mph possible in the Jackson Hole Valley and 80+ mph gusts possible over the higher elevations of the Tetons.
Significant travel impacts are expected over Teton Pass on Monday night with strong winds and heavy snow resulting in whiteout conditions at times along with the potential for road closures.
The Tetons above 8,000 feet will pick up 4-8 inches of new snow through Monday night. There is a chance we could even some “thundersnow” on Monday afternoon/evening due to an unstable atmosphere.
Snow showers will re-develop on Tuesday as well with an additional 1-3 inches expected above 8,000 feet. Winds will remain very strong with gusts to 40-50 mph in the valley and 60-70 mph over the higher elevations.
The Jackson Hole Valley will see a mix of snow and rain through Monday night and all-snow on Tuesday, but overall, any accumulations on the valley floor will be light. Temperatures will be quite chilly on Tuesday, however, with highs only in the mid 30s.
On Wednesday, conditions will dry out with decreasing clouds and lighter winds expected. Temperatures will remain on the chilly side for April with highs near 40 in the valley.
A significant warm-up will occur on Thursday and Friday as high pressure strengthens over the area. Highs will reach the 50s on Thursday and low 60s on Friday under mostly sunny skies. This period will be the last chance to enjoy lift-served spring skiing before JHMR and Grand Targhee shut down for the season on Sunday.
A low pressure system will move into the Western U.S. this weekend, resulting in a transition back to colder and more unsettled weather. Snow showers will be possible on both Saturday and Sunday, but the system will be moisture-starved so only light amounts are expected at this time.
By Sunday, temperatures will be well below average with highs only in the 30s in the valley.
Extended Outlook
Cool and unsettled conditions will prevail early next week with additional snow showers possible on Monday. Heading into the middle of next week, the storm system impacting our area will track further south and east, which will likely leave us in a cool and dry pattern with only a slight chance of snow showers.
The general “unsettled” pattern with below-average temperatures (highs in the upper 30s to low/mid 40s) and occasional chances of light snow showers will persist into the second half of next week. A warming trend is possible toward the end of next week and into the weekend of April 16-17.
Alan Smith, Meteorologist
