Report From Powderhcasers.com
2019-12-12
Significant snow is expected for the Tetons from Thursday morning through Friday. Total snowfall for the Teton Range is expected to be in the 11-18 inch range at upper elevations by late Saturday. The highest intensity will likely fall from Thursday midday through Friday morning and again during the day on Saturday (Colder). This storm is coming in waves beginning on Wednesday and ending late Saturday (Break on Friday)
Below: Teton Pass Wednesday morning (Pre storm)
The upcoming week looks very active for the west. Some of the highest amounts of snow will fall over the Teton Ranges beginning late Wednesday night and continuing somewhat through the upcoming weekend. A slow moving cold front will drag over western Wyoming late Thursday night Warm air initially may limit amounts at the bases with temps running just above freezing in the Valley. Its likely you will wake up to 2-4 inches at the summits by Thursday morning with snow continuing throughout the day. Slight warming will occur midday Thursday followed by a cold front late in the day. This will increase quality and intensity late Thursday or early Friday. Temps in the Valley fall below freezing late Thursday night. Teton Pass will become snow packed at some point Thursday. Lower elevations will see a mix of slush initially and all snow late Thursday night.
Below: Cold front just entering northern Wyoming late Thursday evening enhancing snowfall and quality at the bases. Map is at 4800 feet. Temps at 10K will be -7 to -8 (17F) by Friday morning. Bottom Line: Warmer Thursday- Colder-Friday- Coldest- Saturday/Sunday as moisture decreases.
While this system is not overly cold, it will provide really good mid density snowfall for the upper elevations and better base building snow for lower elevations especially late Thursday night or on Saturday when temps cool. The coldest air arrives Friday night and Saturday when temps drop even further with winds shifting to the Northwest. Most of the moisture will be on the decrease on Friday. Additional moderate snow is likely on Saturday.
Below: Total snowfall from Wednesday to Friday evening in the Tetons. Wide area of 12-18 inches with higher amounts possible at the peaks.
Below: Here is another map from the University of Utah averaging multiple model runs for JHMR summit showing good conensus of over 26 model runs (Tighter lines) showing an average of up to 15-17 inches by late Friday night (Summits) with some addtional snow on Saturday. The combined totals through Saturday should reach 20 inches at the summits.
Bottom Line: Storm Ski Thursday, snow increasing late AM or early PM, with 1st chairs on Friday seeing deeper amounts. Some additional low density snow will fall on Saturday.
You can find additional weather posts at www. powderchasers.com.
Forecaster: Powderchaser Steve-