This will be my last post during the month of April before taking a break. I will resume forecasts in May for the summer season with a focus on weather conditions for hiking, climbing, etc. Thanks so much for reading this winter!

Snow Totals from Wednesday's Storm

We had a late season powder day this week as a band of heavy snow associated with the jet stream set up over the Tetons on Wednesday. The snow produced 2+ inch per hour snowfall rates at Targhee with a total of 10 inches recorded. The band slowly worked its way south across the Tetons into Wednesday evening.

JHMR is now closed for the season, but the weather stations and snowfall reports remain active through the end of May, as this data is still valuable for backcountry skiing and for tracking spring snowmelt.

Here are the snow totals from this event:

• 10" - Grand Targhee - Chief Joseph Bowl
• 8" - Jackson Hole - Rendezvous Bowl
• 7" - Jackson Hole - Raymer Plot
• 7" - Surprise Meadow
• 4" - Jackson Hole - Mid-Mountain
• 3" - Teton Pass - West
• 3" - Togwotee Pass
• 3" - Driggs
• 1.4" - Jackson
• 1" - Jackson Hole - Base
• 1" - Snow King

Thursday morning was outstanding at Targhee with fresh powder and blue skies. It's always nice to get one final powder day during the last week of the season!

Closing Weekend Forecast:

Friday – It's already late in the day while I'm posting this, but it has turned out to be a beautiful day with temps still running on the cooler side for this time of year. Temps are in the mid to upper 30s at Targhee so the snow should still be softening up nicely, while any lingering powder is likely turning heavy.

Saturday – Good spring skiing can be expected with a hard freeze in the AM (lows in the teens), while afternoon highs will reach the upper 30s at 9,000 feet and low 50s in the valleys. Mostly sunny skies and light winds will make for a beautiful day.

Sunday – Warmer temperatures can be expected for closing day, but we will see partly cloudy skies, gusty winds, and a chance of scattered afternoon showers as a weak disturbance moves through.

High temps will reach the mid 40s at 9,000 feet and near 60 in the valleys, following a lighter AM freeze (lows in the upper 20s to low 30s). Winds will become strong in the afternoon out of the WSW with gusts to 40-50 mph possible at the top of Targhee, which unfortunately could impact lift operations.

Snow levels will be around 9,000 feet, so any showers that occur will produce rain down low and snow up high but any precipitation will be light and spotty. 

Closing day is always a joyous occasion and temps will be mild, but Saturday will be the better of the two days given the wind forecast on Sunday. 

Late April Outlook:

Warm and sunny conditions will prevail on Monday and Tuesday with highs rising into the 60s in the valleys and into the upper 40s at 9,000 feet. Wet avalanche danger will be on the rise as a result.

Starting Wednesday, it looks like a more unsettled weather pattern will develop and persist through the end of the month as high pressure breaks down. Frequent disturbances are expected to arrive with showers possible every 1-2 days or so.

Temperatures will start out mild in this pattern with snow levels projected to be around 9,000 feet on Wednesday. However, a cooling trend is expected over time heading into the weekend of April 27-18.

2023-2024 Winter Season Recap:

This winter started out very slowly, but we experienced quite the turn-around during the second half of the season. Snowfall was well below average in November and December. We saw some modest gains in January, followed by a barrage of strong storms in February and early March that helped us catch up to average.

The biggest storm of the season was on March 1 when the Rendezvous Bowl Plot at Jackson Hole received a record 30 inches of snow in 24 hours, shutting down the resort for the day (Targhee also shut down). The town of Jackson received 17 inches in 24 hours in this storm, which was one of the biggest 24-hour events on record in town. 

I have lots of stats, charts, and graphs for you based on the season compared to past seasons, so let's take a look...

Season Snowfall and Snowpack:

For the season, we ended up with 419-447 inches of snow at Jackson Hole's upper mountain (as of closing day on April 14) and 319 inches at Jackson Hole's Mid-Mountain. Grand Targhee is going to finish the season with 438 inches at the Chief Joseph Bowl Plot.

In the town of Jackson, snowfall has ranged from 105-116 inches, while Snow King had received 177 inches as of March 31st.

Total snowfall in the Tetons is right around average, with values generally ranging from 90-110% of average depending on the exact location. Snowfall across the lower elevations around Jackson has been above average (110-130% of average).

Taking a look at April 1st snowpack (the amount of snow on the ground), we ended up near to above average in most locations.

In terms of the water content of the snowpack, we were right at 100% of average on April 1st. Warm and dry weather last week accelerated snowmelt, however, so we are currently sitting at 91% of average snowpack.

The comeback from early January to March is quite evident in the season snowpack graphs, however.

Taking a look at estimated base depth compared to average (based on data from the nearest Snotel stations), we were around 50% of average in early January before reaching 100% of average in early March. A remarkable turn-around!

Next, let's take a look at specific location snowfall stats compared to past seasons, and with a month-to-month comparison for this season.

Jackson Hole - Rendezvous Bowl:

Jackson Hole – Raymer Plot:

Jackson Hole – Mid-Mountain:

Grand Targhee - Chief Joseph Bowl:

Town of Jackson:

Temperatures:

Temperatures were warmer than average this winter, as is often the case in El Nino years. Each month from November to February was warmer than average, while March ended up being colder than average.

Looking at data for recent years in the town of Jackson, this was our warmest winter since 2018 and the third warmest winter since 2014. Notice how much warmer this winter was compared to last winter...

Stick With OpenSnow This Summer

Don’t forget that you can use OpenSnow as your go-to weather app, no matter the season. We have continued to expand our year-round features to make OpenSnow your go-to resource for hiking, climbing, biking, and all other outdoor activities.

For the spring, summer, and fall, here are some of our most useful features...

• Forecast for your Current Location
  Hit the "Weather" tab on your "Favorites" screen and you'll see the current temperature and wind speed at your location. Tap on that to view the forecast.
  
  
• Forecasts Anywhere on Earth
  Just tap on the map then save your point. Great for hiking, climbing, biking, camping, etc.
  
  
• Current and Future Radar
  On our map overlays, select "Current Radar" to see radar coverage for the previous three hours. Select "Forecast Radar" to view the projected radar from a high-resolution weather model for the next 2 days. Use this to get a general idea rather than accepting it as reality, as pop-up thunderstorms in the summer are tough to predict. 
  
  
• Air Quality & Wildfire Smoke Forecast Maps
  Hopefully, we don't have to use these maps very often, but when we do need them, the forecast accuracy is quite good, especially for 1-2 days into the future. I recommend using the Smoke (surface) map as this covers most of BC, while the high-res smoke map only covers far southern BC.
  
  
• Current Air Quality Map
  Hopefully, we don't have to use these maps very often, but when we do need them, seeing real-time Air Quality helps to know if outdoor activities are a good idea right now.
  
  
• Hourly Lightning Forecasts
  Lightning cannot be forecast accurately, but we do know the general times and locations when it is possible. Don't get caught above the treeline during a storm!
  
  
• Lightning Density Map
  We show the relative density of recent lightning strikes, which updates every few minutes. This is a useful tool for tracking thunderstorms, but it should not be solely relied upon and you should be paying attention to the skies overhead as well.
  
  
• Hourly Precipitation Forecasts
  Summer precipitation tends to be more showery and random in nature compared to frontal systems in the winter, but our hourly precipitation forecasts give you a good idea of which times of day rain (or snow) is more likely.
  
  
• Hourly Wind Forecasts
  We show projected wind speed and wind gusts, which is great info if your hiking objectives include high-mountain passes or summits.
  
  
• Offline Maps for Satellite & Terrain
  Heading off the grid? Download maps to take with you. A few taps and you'll be able to access the maps without an internet signal.
  
  
• Jackson Hole Daily Snow
  Yes, I will continue to update this Daily Snow during the summer to help with your outdoor plans. My posts will be less frequent compared to the winter, generally 2-5 times per week depending on the weather. I will also take vacation breaks periodically.

Also, remember that your OpenSnow All-Access subscription (list of all features) is good for 365 days and all of the features above are included with your subscription.

In short, OpenSnow is a useful tool to track the freeze/thaw cycle for corn snow and peak-bagging this spring, avoid lightning and wildfire smoke this summer, escape to the desert for hero dirt in the fall, and find every powder day next winter.

Find Powder in the Southern Hemisphere During Their Winter

If your 'summer' pursuits take you to a snowy spot, you can use OpenSnow to track powder across the globe, including Southern Hemisphere ski regions such as South America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Our forecasts work on any land area on Earth for 365 days a year, and you can quickly see where it's snowing with our Powder Finder.

Our team of local forecasters is also expanding to include the Southern Hemisphere. Last year, we introduced the South America Daily Snow, and this year, we are excited to launch the Australia and New Zealand Daily Snow. Stay tuned for this if you have plans to head down under this "summer".

Next Winter (2024-2025)

As of April 2024, El Nino is rapidly weakening and confidence is increasing that we will head into La Nina for next season. 

Learn More → El Nino and La Nina Explained

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, there is a 60% chance of La Nina conditions developing by mid-summer 2024 and a 80-90% chance of La Nina conditions developing by late fall/early winter.

This means that ocean temperatures in the Central and Eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean will become colder than average, which will lead to a change in thunderstorm patterns over the tropics, which then changes storm tracks around the world.

Historically, La Nina tips the odds in favor of snowier winters in the Tetons. This was true in 2022-2023 which was a La Nina winter, but it doesn't always work out this way, as the La Nina winter in 2021-2022 was below average. 

Stay tuned for a more in-depth winter preview this fall once we get a better handle on the La Nina outlook, and remember that winter outlooks, while fun and interesting, always contain a large amount of uncertainty and should be taken with a grain of salt. 

Wrapping it Up:

Another ski season in the books! I love writing the Jackson Hole Daily Snow, and it's been great hearing from and connecting with so many of you.

The Teton Range and the Greater Yellowstone Region are remarkable from a recreation and meteorological standpoint, and I continue to learn more about the weather patterns here every year. 

Our development team at OpenSnow continues to work hard to fine-tune our proprietary forecast data and add awesome new features every year. We are so grateful that we have earned your support, and we will continue to work hard to earn your support for decades to come.

Thanks for reading the Jackson Hole Daily Snow this winter, and stay tuned for my next post in May!

Alan Smith