Sunday morning’s snow was kind of a cruel April Fools joke, especially after the nice afternoon we had on Saturday, the last day of March! High temperatures on Saturday in Jackson Hole topped out at 63 degrees. The high Sunday afternoon was 43 degrees. Courtesy of a cold front that went through overnight Saturday night. (See this past Sunday’s weather map below).

Neither of these high temps broke any records. As a matter of fact, the record high for March 31st in Jackson is 70 degrees. Set back in 2004. And actually that whole first week on April 2004 was warm, setting record highs almost every day, in the upper 60’s. Which is as warm as we have ever been in early April.

Average highs in Jackson the first week in April are in the upper 40’s to around 50.

By the second week in April we usually see highs in the mid-50’s, on average. Record highs in the lower 70’s.

What’s Ahead
We go back and forth this week, with temps warming mid-week, then another cold front moving through at the end of the week, bringing some more snow Thursday/Friday. (See forecast map below for Friday).

Temps staying cool through the Easter Weekend, before we warm back up to more Spring-like temps just after Easter weekend. Not unusual to see the weather flip-flopping back and forth from spring to winter during April. You just have to have skis, boats, and bikes ready to go …….depending on the weather each day.

Posted by meteorologist Jim Woodmencey
Graphics courtesy of IPS MeteoStar

Tuesday, March 20^th……..Welcome to the First Day of Spring 2012!

Today is also the day that MountainWeather.com launches the mobile version of the website.

Created and developed for MountainWeather by Gliffen Designs of Jackson Hole, the same great web folks who designed the new version of the main MountainWeather.com site a little over a year ago.

When you open www.mountainweather.com in your phone’s web browser it should automatically default to the mobile version. If not, just type in: www.mountainweather.com/mobile

Or, scan the QR code below with you phone!

Why a Mobile Version?

The main reason is, that weather happens outside, and now you will have access to MountainWeather everywhere, and on the go!

Whether you are outdoors recreating or on the road travelling, now you can stay updated with current weather conditions, the Jackson Hole forecast, weather maps, road reports, webcams, and more.

Second reason is, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of times people were accessing the main MountainWeather site with mobile devices over the past 6 months, and since almost half of the mobile phone users in the US have smartphones, it seemed like the time was right.

Now you can access MountainWeather, wherever!

Is it an App?

This mobile version of mountainweather.com is basically a website formatted to fit the screens of most smartphones. It contains a condensed version of the more popular weather products and information available on the main website.

This is not an “app”, but it will look like and feel like an “app” on your smartphone.

The beauty of a “mobile” version of a website is, it will work across all smartphone platforms and operating systems, and will be iPhone, Android, and Blackberry friendly.

The other advantage of a mobile version vs. an app is that a mobile version can constantly be updated and information added, whereas an app would have to wait for a newer version to be developed.

How to Keep MountainWeather Mobile on Your Phone

To add an icon to your smartphone’s screen, follow the instructions below.

For an iPhone:

1) Tap the options button at the bottom of the screen box with an arrow coming out of it), then choose “Add to Home Screen”.

2) Name it something short, such as “MW Mobile”, then tap “add”.

3) You now have a MountainWeather Mobile icon on your phone.

4) Tap that icon like you would any other icon for the many apps you have.

For an Android:

1. Type in www.mountainweather.com in your phone’s web browser.
2. Go to the home screen you would like to add the mobile site to
3. Long-press in the empty area you’d like to add the icon to, this will bring up the “Add to Home Screen” menu
4. Select Shortcuts and then Bookmarks
5. Choose the MountainWeather.com Mobile bookmark

Additional Functionality and Tips

The other bonus of adding icons to your phone in this manner from your browser is, you are able to make as many icons as you like for your most frequently visited pages on the site. For instance, if looking at Satellite photos is your thing, then go to the Satellite & Radar page and save that specific page to your home screen.

The idea with the mobile site is to be able to view most products without having to pinch and expand any more than is necessary to view the information. Some weather content is not really formatted for smartphones, but is included on the mobile site anyway, so you can still have access to these products. They will require some manipulation after opening that page.

You always have the option to view all the weather products available on the main site, which you can do anytime by going to “VIEW FULL SITE” at the bottom of each page. Particularly if there is a weather product you like that is not listed on the mobile site.

Satellite loops for instance can be viewed by tapping the satellite photo of your choice, then the loop will open in a separate window or page. On that page, just expand or pinch to zoom in or out to the desired viewing size. These loops also have full controls, to go slower or faster, step through one-at-a-time, etc.

Road Reports for each of the States listed vary widely in their presentation. Utah is the least friendly to look at on your phone. I’ll be on the lookout for improvements with those, as time goes on.

More to Come

This mobile version of mountainweather.com will have more info will be added through this Spring and Summer, with more webcams, weather stations, etc. coming soon. So, keep checking back to see what’s new.

And remember, even though this site is free to use, no app fee, no monthly charges, no cost to you…..please tap on the advertising sponsors banners to see what they are all about, and support those who support MountainWeather. They are what keeps this engine running!

Enjoy “tapping” around!

Some Other Screen shots

Posted by Jim Woodmencey, meteorologist

Wednesday, Feb. 29th, 2012……………A nice combination of features on the weather maps today, all lining up to become a good dump-producer for Jackson Hole & the Tetons today. And then Swinging south over Utah and Colorado tonight & Thursday.

Low pressure center at the surface over the Northwestern US today, this will be moving across the Rockies in two pieces, with one piece passing by to the North of Jackson Hole, in Montana ( a really good position for Northwest Wyoming’s mountains). The second piece of that Low pressure center will be dropping south over the Utah/Colorado border area.

There is also a cold front that will be plowing through this afternoon, adding some extra boost to the weather system, and intensifying the snowfall over the Tetons and eventually over parts of Utah & Colorado’s mountains.

All of that stuff east moves into the Plains on Friday.

Surface Map below left, Jet Stream Map below right……….

Upper Level Trof of Low pressure is also in a good position, with a nose of the jet stream also moving overhead today, along with a good diverging West to SW flow out ahead of the Trof. To top it off with a little extra sauce, there is also a strong Northwest flow on the backside of this Trof, which is providing an ample supply of cold air aloft (along with Pacific moisture) to keep things unstable.

That’s the technical jibberish…. But it all translates into a big dump to skiers.

You can check out the newest 3-Day Surface Maps and Jet Stream Forecast Maps on the USA Forecasts Page on www.mountainweather.com

I just added a new look and content to that page today. Check it all out. And while you are there, have a look at the Satellite & Radar page too, pretty good looking right now!

Graphics from NWS & UCAR.
Posted by meteorologist Jim Woodmencey

We have had a lot to make up for with snowfall this winter, with a slow start to the season. Snow storms have been fewer and farther between than last winter, but this past week’s snowfall has almost caught us up to where we should be this time of year.

It has generally been a feast or famine cycle for powder this season, with three good stormy periods that stick out: one around New Year’s, one the third week of January, and now this one during the second to third weeks in February.

We are just past the mid-point of the Winter Season now, and maybe we can relax a little as settled snow depths are now very close to normal for this time of year in the mountains, thanks to the snow of this past week. As as you can see in the table below, we’re not grossly behind where we were last year at this time, for settled snow depths.

February 14 to 22 Snow & Wind
Between Valentine’s Day and Washington’s Birthday there has been about 4 feet of new snow at the higher elevations. Rendezvous Bowl had 44 inches and the Raymer Plot had 48 inches.

Distribution was a little askew when comparing these two stations at roughly the same elevation, during the first half of this past week (Feb. 14 to 20) Rendezvous Bowl had 20 inches of snow and the Raymer Plot reported 15 inches.

During the second half of this past week (Feb 21 to 23) Rendezvous Bowl showed a total of 22 inches of new snow and the Raymer Plot recorded 33 inches of snow. Not to shabby for February, which is usually the driest month of the winter, on average.

It was also VERY windy during this period, with 30 to 39 mph sustained winds in the valley and gust to 55 mph. In the mountains averages were sometimes between 40 and 50 mph with gusts near 80 mph in the Teton Range. The jet stream was right over head Wednesday evening when winds were at their peak, and estimated to be between 130 and 150 mph at 30,000-ft.

Total Season Snowfall
We are still behind on our season total snowfall numbers and nowhere near where we were last winter. See comparison table below.

Snotel Reports also indicate that the Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) is now at 92% of average. So it is looking like the middle part of winter is proving to be the fattest, as far as snowfall goes.

The best news for Jackson Hole skier’s is, that we are still looking fatter than much of the rest of the Western United States. (See National and regional snowdepth maps below, as of Feb. 23, 2012.

Snow Analysis maps can be viewed on the Skier’s Page on www.mountainweather.com

Posted by Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey
February 23, 2012

Surprisingly, we have managed to pick up roughly 20 inches of new snow in the Teton Mountains since Valentine’s Day (Totals for Feb. 13 thru 19) with weak Low pressure systems wandering around the Western U.S.

While we have spent the better part of the last 3 weeks without a significant jet stream flow over the Western U.S. it finally looks like that will be changing here this week as we come under a stronger Northwesterly flow beginning tonight and Tuesday (Feb. 21st)

That jet stream will be positioned just to the north of Jackson Hole, so we will start out initially with warmer air Tues. into Wed. Then, that jet drops further south Wed. night & Thurs. bringing colder air with it.

Jet Stream Map for Wednesday Feb. 22nd

A Ridge of High pressure will be positioned off the West Coast and moisture associated with Low pressure systems in the Gulf of Alaska and further out in the Pacific will be directed up and over the top of that Ridge and straight over us in a consistent NW flow aloft.

This is not a “storm” per say, but rather a very moist and consistent Northwesterly flow, which is usually a very favorable flow to have for producing decent snowfall in the Tetons. You might also call this a “Dirty Ridge” situation, where moisture rides over the top (northern part) of a Ridge of High pressure that is usually located along or just off the West Coast. Snowfall will follow the trail of moisture, and generally will be in the vicinity of the jet stream flow, as well.

Maps below of Forecasted Snowfall for Western U.S.
And zoomed-in map of Idaho-Montana-Wyoming
for Monday Feb. 20 thru Wednesday Feb. 22

Looks like the best snowfall for us will come Tuesday afternoon thru Wednesday afternoon, with very strong winds developing, especially in the mountains. This model above shows something in excess of 25 inches of snow at the higher elevations in the Tetons thru Wednesday evening. More conservatively, I think you can count on snow accumulations in the mountains of between 1 and 2 feet.

Snow tapers off for Thursday, then we see a Low pressure system drop south out of B.C. at the end of the week, which will bring more snow to NW Wyoming Friday and over the weekend.

It’s Groundhog’s Day! Perhaps the most “celebrated” weather day of the year….but it really has less to do about the groundhog and more to do about the fact that February 2nd is the midway point of the Winter Season.

According to folklore, if the day is sunny and the groundhog (otherwise known as a woodchuck or marmot) sees his shadow, then we will have six more weeks of winter. If the day is cloudy and the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow, then spring will come early.

The thinking here is, that if it is a sunny day in early February, then something is amiss with the weather and the groundhog will dive back in his hole, expecting that winter weather will likely return in March. If it is cloudy, and he can’t see his shadow, then the weather situation is “normal” and spring should arrive early. At least that is one interpretation of the myth surrounding the groundhog.

Truth is, groundhog’s rarely come out of hibernation and show their faces before the end of March. With the exception of a few domestically held groundhog’s & marmots like Punxsutawney Phil & Lander Lil.

The real reason for celebration is that Groundhog’s Day does mark the midway point of the Winter Season. Winter is 12 weeks long, and February 2nd is exactly the midway point between December 21st (the solstice) and March 21st (the equinox). Regardless of what the groundhog says, we will always have 6 more weeks of winter between today and March 21st, according to the calendar at least.

Spring may come early to some parts of the country, and we may see some “spring-like” weather here in Jackson Hole before the third week in March. But rarely is our winter weather over with before March 21st.

Posted by meteorologist Jim Woodmencey
February 2, 2012

A steady and sometimes powerful Westerly flow brought the bulk of the snowfall between Wednesday January 18^th and Saturday January 21^st , 2012. Storm totals for the entire 7-day period from last Monday morning, January 16^th thru this Monday January 23^rd 2012 were pretty impressive, with around two feet of snow falling in the valley and over 4 feet of snow in the mountains around Jackson Hole. That snow contained over 2 inches of water at lower elevations and more than 4 inches of water at higher elevations.

Getting a big dump of snow like that is not without its problems though, and hats off to the WYDOT crew for being on top of it and keeping things safe on Teton Pass during a busy avalanche cycle. (See some photos below from Jamie Yount, Avalanche Forecaster for WYDOT). And good job also to the local area ski patrols for doing the same, not an easy task when you are dealing with that much snow and that much wind in a relatively short amount of time.
As much as we all were yearning (and maybe a little crazy!) for fresh powder, patience is a valuable virtue when the mountains are rocking and rolling like they were.

Photos from Left to Right…Glory Bowl Crown. Bottom of Glory at Road. Beaver Slide debris on West side of Teton Pass. (All Courtesy of Jamie Yount, WYDOT).

Snowfall Numbers

Basically our snowpack doubled in less than a week, going from a settled snowdepth in the valley of around 16 inches last Monday to 37 inches this Monday. Mountains did the same, growing from around 40 inches to 80 inches tall.

Snowfall numbers and comparisons below for the Rendezvous Bowl Study Plot at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

Numbers from the Teton Pass Study Plot that WYDOT uses, on the West side of the Pass had 48 inches of snow for the storm through Sunday morning (but some of that settled well before they could go measure it) and a whopping 5.40 inches of water!

Snow in Other Areas

Best swath of snow with this moist Westerly flow was from the Cascades of Washington, across the mountains of Idaho and into Western Wyoming. Big Winner was Mt. Baker in Northwest Washington where they reported 95 inches of snow in the last 10 days and a settled snow depth of 166 inches, looking like the deepest in the lower 48 U.S. right now.
Brundage Mountain near McCall, Idaho reported 40 inches of snow this past week and they now have a settled snow depth of 72 inches.
Significant snow also fell in Utah and Colorado’s mountains, but not nearly as much as the aforementioned areas, but enough to cause avalanche problems down that way also. Since everywhere snow fell, it fell on a weak existing snowpack.
Oddly, there were parts of central Idaho and Southwest Montana’s mountains that got significantly less snow. There were some mountain areas that got short-changed by this moist Westerly flow (For example: Sun Valley got way less snow than Brundage Mountain & Bridger Bowl got way less snow than Montana SnowBowl). That was probably due to some downsloping effects as moisture was lifted over mountain ranges to the west and then created a “dry-hole” to the leeward, unable to lift over the next adjacent range in time to dump out more snow. Best I can do to explain that for now without further investigation.
To be honest, I hardly gave these places a thought until after the fact, mainly because I was too busy keeping up with measuring snow fall around Jackson and then analyzing and calculating what was coming for the next 2 or 3 days. It was an exhausting week of forecasting for sure!

Posted by Jim Woodmencey, meteorologist

We haven’t really seen much change in the weather pattern over the Western United States over the last 8-weeks, with the exception the New Year’s Weekend storm. But, it finally, it looks like we’ll see some changes beginning next week. First indications that a strong Westerly flow will develop from the eastern Pacific across the Northwest U.S. and the northern Rockies.

A series of weather disturbances will be moving through this developing Westerly flow, with a Low pressure center hanging around the British Columbia Coast helping to supply colder air, and segments of strong jet stream cycling right overhead, should all add up to being a good longer-term snow producer, from the Cascades to the Northern Rockies.

Over the last 8 weeks we’ve seen a relatively dry weather pattern, most of the time the jet stream was way to the north in Canada, or it was split, or we were under a dry Northerly flow. None of which was very good for producing more than a few brief shots of snow.

Current Jet Stream Map

Finally, it looks like this developing weather pattern could persist for a period of 7 days or more. As it looks right now, we should see some snow beginning Monday & Tuesday of next week, and then the potential for heavier snowfall coming by the end of next week. With snow continuing through the following weekend (Jan. 21/22).

Forecast Jet Stream map for Jan. 20

Jet stream maps courtesy of IPS MeteoStar

Still A Ways Away…
Granted, this is still almost a week away, but at least the computer models and the longer range outlooks are giving us some hope for pulling out a decent January, snowfall-wise. (See the precipitation outlook maps below).

You can read and view more extended forecast and outlook info at www.mountainweather.com by going to the NWS Discussions & Outlooks Page.

6 to 10 Day Precipitation Outlook Map

8 to 14 Day Precipitation Outlook Map

Text by meteorologist Jim Woodmencey

Maps from IPS MeteoStar’s LEADS Online
and NOAA

The Winter Season officially begins Wednesday December 21st, 2011 at 10:30 pm MST. As we enter the Fourth Quarter of the Month of December, I know quite a few people in the Mountain West are wishing for snow, but please remember, I am not the Tim Tebow of meteorologists!

I’d like us to finish strong in December and come out ahead with a lot of fresh powder, but we’ll probably fall short of most people’s expectations.
The good news is, the weather pattern we’ve been locked into most of the month of December is showing signs of changing and the jet stream across the Pacific looks like it will begin directing some weather systems and some moisture across the Pacific Northwest & Northern Rockies on a more regular basis.
We’ve been in a split flow, with moisture getting directed north into Alaska & Canada most of the month, and also south across the Southwest U.S. (See jet stream map from 12/20/11).

DECEMBER 20, 2011 Jet Stream Map
Courtesy of IPS MeteoStar

Looking much better even as we head into the week between Christmas and New Years.
(See jet stream map for Christmas Night below). Much more of a Westerly flow across the Gulf of Alaska, and that is what we want to see. It’s not quite the Super Bowl of weather situations, but it should get us back on track with more frequent snowstorms and salvage the season after a somewhat dismal start.

DECEMBER 25, 2011 Forecast Jet stream Map
Courtesy of IPS MeteoStar

More to come…….

Posted by meteorologist Jim Woodmencey
Maps from LEADS, IPS MeteoStar

A fair mount of excitement was generated earlier this fall when word got out that we were going to continue with a “La Nina” again this winter. However, not all La Nina’s are created equal and this year’s La Nina is weaker than last years. Map comparing area of cold Sea Surface Temps (SST) around the Equatorial Pacific that defines a La Nina, below.

La Nina/ El Nino Review: La Nina means colder than normal SST’s in the Equatorial Pacific, and El Nino means warmer than normal SST’s. La Nina’s usually keep the Northwest U.S. wet in winter and the Southwest U.S. dry. El Nino’s usually have the opposite effect.

By now you may have noticed a difference between the amount of snow and the frequency of snowstorms that we’ve had this season so far, compared to the way we started last season with a bang in late October. The Winter of 2011-12 is not off to the same start as last winter, and that is consistent across the entire Western U.S.

Pre-season snowfall, October & November 2011, was actually still a little above average in Jackson Hole, but nowhere near the amounts seen pre-season in 2010. (See graph below left).

The biggest difference though between this time last year and right now is seen in the settled snowdepths at ski areas throughout the West. Snowdepths are much lower than they were in early December 2010. (See graph above, right)

Here in Jackson Hole I suspect most folks naturally expected a repeat of the “700 inch” snowfall winter we had last year during that “La Nina”. Obviously the possibility of that wish coming true dwindles with each passing day without new snow. Again…..not all La Nina’s are created equal!

While a La Nina winter usually means that we will see above normal snowfall in the mountains (true for most Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies mountain locations), it does not define how or when that snow will be delivered.

Part of that is controlled by where a Ridge of High pressure sets up in the Pacific and where the main storm track sets up to bring Pacific moisture inland. Last year most of the winter the High was set up perfectly and storms rolled across Pacific Northwest, Sierras, Northern & Central Rockies almost continuously. (Red line on Map).

This year the Ridge of High pressure, so far, as caused the storm track to take a more northern route up into Alaska. That has prevented the continuous train of Pacific moisture from coming directly across the Western U.S. (White line on Map).

Snow History in JH

If you look at it statistically, in Jackson Hole the mountains have an above average snowfall 70% of the time during a La Nina year. Last Winter’s La Nina was strong to moderate, more like 2007-08. This year’s La Nina is weaker, more like 2000-01. Both of those winter’s saw above average snowfall at the end of the season tally, but when the snow came was decidedly different.

Even if you look closely at the snowfall distribution at Jackson Hole (9500-ft. Rendezvous Bowl Study Plot) from last winter (2010-11) most of the snow came pre-season and post-season. The mid-winter snowfall was just average, December thru February.

(See Graph 1).

Outlook For Winter 2011-12

While La Nina conditions are still expected to continue thru the northern hemisphere winter, although it may take a little longer for the weather pattern to finally change for the better (snowier).

Right now it looks like there may be a more significant shift of that Ridge currently parked out in the Pacific, and subsequently see the storm track starighten out again across the Pacific by about the time we get to the Winter Solstice (Dec. 21).

Below are the 3-Month Outlook Maps for January-March 2012, and the signature is still that of a La Nina, colder and wetter Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies. Note that the line of above average precip do not extend as far south into the Sierras and Utah/Colorado like it did last year. (“EC” means Equal Chances of above or below average).

Obviously we didn’t see the pre-season snowfall that we had last year, and it’s unlikely we would ever duplicate the unbelievable post-season snowfall amounts that we saw last winter/spring. However, it would make sense to see a bigger mid-season snow than we had last year, and still make the Winter of 2011-12 come out above average.

This Blog entry was adapted from a presentation given by meteorologist Jim Woodmencey at the Avalanche Awareness Night in Jackson, WY on December 1, 2011.