Jackson Hole Weather Dec 13-19, 2022

JACKSON, Wyo. — We are heading into a relatively quiet pattern for the rest of this week, but occasional flurries can be expected from Tuesday through Friday along with a trend toward colder temperatures. Snow chances should increase a bit next week and temperatures will remain colder than average.

Recent Weather Recap

Last week started out with heavy mountain snow on December 5-6, followed by several light to moderate snow events from December 9-12. Temperatures last week remained below average overall with highs in Jackson ranging from 12ºF to 32ºF and lows ranging from -14ºF to 25ºF.

Following one of the coldest Novembers on record, temperatures so far in December are running about 3ºF below average in Jackson.

Snow totals so far in December (as of December 13) include 65 inches at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s Rendezvous Bowl Plot, 48 inches at JHMR’s Mid-Mountain Plot and 41 inches at Grand Targhee. The Rendezvous Bowl Plot averages 90 inches of snow for the month of December as a whole, so we are on pace for an above-average snowfall month.

Snow totals for the month of December across the lower elevations so far include 26 inches in Moran, 25 inches at the JHMR Base Area, 21 inches at Snow King and 11 inches in the Town of Jackson.

Snowpack in the Snake River Basin, which includes the Teton Range, Gros Ventre Range and Snake River Range is currently 120% of average for this time of year. Settled snow depths as of December 13 include 53 inches at the JHMR Rendezvous Bowl Plot, 40 inches at mid-mountain, 23 inches at the base, 59 inches at Grand Targhee’s Chief Joseph Bowl Plot and 34 inches at Snow King.

Stats aside, this has been one of the best starts to ski season in the Tetons in years thanks to abundant snowfall and consistent cold temperatures.

Forecast for Tuesday (12/13) to Monday (12/19)

We are on the back edge of a storm moving across the Central Rockies and into the plains on Tuesday. We could see some lingering flurries at times, but any additional accumulations will be minimal.

For the rest of the week (through Saturday), a cold and relatively dry northerly flow will set up over Jackson Hole. However, a couple of weak impulses will arrive on Wednesday night and again on Thursday night/Friday.

The first impulse has the best chance of bringing some light snow showers/flurries to the area with dusting-level accumulations expected. The Thursday night/Friday impulse will be weaker and located further east. We could see some flurries during this time but meaningful accumulations are not expected.

Temperatures are starting out seasonally cool early this week with highs in the 20s in the valley. However, arctic air will work its way in from the north on Tuesday night and Wednesday, setting the stage for a much colder second half of the week.

Highs on Wednesday will only reach the teens in the valley and single digits at 9,000 feet. From Friday through Sunday, a temperature inversion is expected to set up with temperatures warming up into the teens at 9,000 feet, while in the valley, highs will struggle to get out of the single digits with lows falling into the teens below zero.

Heading into early next week, we may see a storm arrive from the northwest, resulting in a better chance of snow on Sunday night and Monday along with gradually moderating temperatures.

Extended Forecast

Another storm is possible around next Tuesday (Dec 20) to Wednesday (Dec 21) with a storm track out of the northwest expected. Confidence is low in the details and snowfall potential this far out, though.

There are also some hints of an arctic cold front arriving around the middle of next week, which could send us back into the freezer around December 21-22.

In the days leading up to Christmas, it’s possible we could see additional storms arriving from the northwest, though confidence is low at this time. There are also some hints that we could see warmer temperatures arrive around or just after Christmas.

Alan Smith, Meteorologist