JACKSON, Wyo. – An unseasonably powerful shot of arctic air for this late in the year toppled numerous temperature records in Jackson Hole and across Wyoming.
Most notably, the weather station at the summit of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort at 10,400 recorded a low of -14ºF, which is the coldest temperature ever recorded at this location in the month of March, dating back to 1975. The old record was -13ºF on March 3, 2002.
Numerous daily temperature records (for March 10) were broken at other locations at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort as well, including -12ºF at Rendezvous Bowl, -11ºF at the Raymer Plot, -8ºF at Mid-Mountain and -8ºF at the base.
The Jackson Hole Airport technically broke its cold temperature record for the month of March as well with a low of -24ºF. However, records at this location only date back to 2009.
The temperatures recorded at the Jackson Hole Airport and at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort were the coldest temperatures recorded this winter. It is highly unusual for the coldest temperature of the entire winter to occur in mid-March rather than December, January or February.
The Town of Jackson “only” recorded a low of -15ºF on Thursday morning, which is neither a daily record low nor is it the coldest temperature recorded this winter.
Cold temperature records were broken beyond Jackson Hole as well on Thursday morning.
Driggs recorded a low of -26ºF at the airport, which is a record for the date and third coldest temperature ever recorded at this location in the month of March (the monthly record is -30ºF in 1922).
The Casper Airport set its all-time low temperature record for the month of March this morning with a low of -26ºF, breaking the old record of -21ºF set in 1965.
The late-season cold snap followed an impressive storm that produced the heaviest snowfall we’ve seen in the Tetons and Jackson Hole Valley since early January.
The Rendezvous Bowl Plot at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort received 22 inches of snow from this storm and the Chief Joseph Bowl Plot at Grand Targhee received 19 inches of snow. The Town of Jackson received 4.9 inches of snow.
The snow that fell in the Tetons was extremely dry and powdery, even by our standards. Snow to liquid ratios were about 20 to 1 (1″ of liquid = 20″ of snow), which is a density of only 5%.
The cold snap we’re currently experiencing will be much shorter-lived compared to cold snaps from earlier this winter. After a high in the teens in the valley on Thursday, highs will warm up into the upper 20s to near 30 on Friday and close to seasonal values in the low 40s on Saturday.
A more active pattern will also return early next week with storms expected on Sunday and again on Tuesday-Wednesday. Temperatures will remain near seasonal levels through next week.
Alan Smith, Meteorologist
