Snow - Weather forecasting

An arctic cold front moved through Sunday night, putting an abrupt end to the unseasonably warm temperatures over the weekend. Strong southerly winds quickly scoured out an inversion, and temperatures soared into the mid-40s in Jackson and remained above freezing for about 36 hours. The cold front arrived Sunday evening, and as of Monday morning temperatures in Jackson are in the mid teens with strong northerly winds of 25-30 mph. Blowing snow has forced Highway 89 between Moose and Moran to close on Monday morning.

Snow amounts Sunday night through early Monday morning ranged from 3-6 inches in the Tetons and 2-4 inches in the Jackson Hole Valley. Prevailing mountain-top winds have been coming from the northeast rather than the typical westerly flow. Northeast winds do not produce the same kind of orographic/terrain-forced snow enhancement in the Tetons that typical west or southwest winds do, which is why valley snow amounts have been similar to Teton snow amounts.

The northeast winds are also more favorable for areas along and east of the Continental Divide, which explains why Togwotee Pass had picked up 8 inches of snow as of Monday morning.

 

For the rest of Monday, additional light snow will fall through the afternoon with another couple of inches possible in and around Jackson Hole. The winds, colder temperatures, and blowing snow will be the big story rather than significant snow amounts. Conditions will clear out Monday night with temperatures falling well below zero in the valley.

Tuesday will be a cold and dry day with highs struggling to reach the low teens in the valley and low single digits in the mountains, but at least winds will be light and skies will be sunny.

Starting Wednesday, Northwest Wyoming will get into a “skier’s flow” with frequent storms arriving from the northwest, resulting in new snow every day from Wednesday through Saturday or Sunday.

The first storm cycle will be a longer duration event that starts on Wednesday morning and continues through Friday afternoon. A strong jet stream from the northwest will be supplying moisture and energy needed for heavy snow amounts in the Tetons.

Three-day snow totals from Wednesday through Friday of about 1-2 feet (possibly more?) can be expected for the Tetons, and around 4-8 inches can be expected in the valley. Wednesday’s snow will start out dry and powdery with cold temperatures in place before a warming trend ensues on Thursday through early Friday with snow becoming heavier/denser as valley temperatures approach the freezing mark. Of the three days, the heaviest snow will likely fall on Thursday.

 

 

We may see a brief lull in the action on Friday night, but then another storm is projected to arrive on Saturday and Sunday. Overall, it’s looking like a great week for skiers and riders looking to score some fresh powder. Beyond this weekend, we may dry out for a day or two, but the long-range outlook favors a colder and snowier than average pattern through at least mid-February.

 

January 2020 Review

January was an incredible month for snowfall at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The Rendezvous Bowl Plot at 9,580 feet received 173 inches of snow in January, setting a new record for the month of January with records dating back to 1974.

Amazingly, this was also the third snowiest month of any month ever recorded at the Rendezvous Bowl Plot. Also, two of the three snowiest months ever recorded at this station have occurred in the past two winters!

Top 5 Snowiest Months at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort – Rendezvous Bowl Plot:

  1. December 1996:  225 inches
  2. February 2019:  193 inches
  3. January 2020:  173 inches
  4. December 2016:  155 inches
  5. March 2011:  154 inches

The town of Jackson received 35.6 inches of snow in January 2020. This is well short of a record, but nearly double the average January snowfall of 18.5 inches.

Temperatures were 4.7 degrees warmer than average in the town of Jackson during January, with the second half of the month being notably milder than the first half. However, temperatures at the top of the tram (10,400 ft.) ended up running 2.7 degrees colder than average during January.

Alan Smith, Meteorologist

Alan is a professional meteorologist who holds a degree from MSU Denver and writes weather forecasts for Buckrail. He has lived in Jackson full-time since 2015. He is currently a Meteorologist and Operations Manager for OpenSnow, which is a weather forecasting service for skiing and outdoor adventures. At OpenSnow, Alan writes forecasts for the Tetons, Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and North America as a whole.