Weather
An ongoing cold storm keeps winter conditions around the Northern Rockies through Friday night before a fast warmup takes over this weekend. The steadiest snow and best odds for a meaningful refresh sit in western Wyoming and southwest Montana, where totals reach 5-12 inches, while Idaho areas mostly see 1-3 inches. Confidence is strongest from early Thursday through Monday night: snow levels crash to valley floors in the short term, then a dry ridge brings sunnier skies, lighter winds, and more springlike surfaces through Monday before a lower-confidence shower chance returns around midweek.
This cycle is already underway, and the guidance is closely aligned on the storm continuing through Thursday and Friday before tapering late Friday night. Idaho resorts get most of their snow from daybreak through Thursday afternoon, generally around 1-3 inches, while western Wyoming, southwest Montana, and northwest Montana keep reloading into Friday night with more like 5-12 inches overall and Big Sky closest to a foot. Timing, falling snow levels, and the west-to-east taper are well converged, with only moderate spread on final intensity. Snow levels drop from roughly 4,000-7,000 feet early to near valley floors, and ridgeline gusts of 30-40 mph will make the heavier bursts feel raw. Snow quality starts dense to fair with SLRs around 8:1 to 12:1, then turns lighter Friday as many areas rise into the 14:1 to 20:1 range.
Saturday through Monday looks much quieter, and the models are tightly converged on a ridge bringing dry weather, lighter winds, and a sharp rebound in temperatures. After cold starts in the teens and 20s Saturday morning, many resort temperatures climb back into the 40s Saturday and into the 50s by Sunday and Monday, with some lower mountain locations nearing 60. For the few areas still spinning lifts, Grand Targhee should hold the best winter feel earliest Saturday thanks to the deeper new snow, while Tamarack and Bogus Basin turn back toward spring conditions quickly once the sun gets to work. Confidence remains high through Monday night because the guidance agrees on both the dry stretch and the warming trend.
After Monday night, confidence drops and the forecast turns more speculative as the next Pacific system tries to re-enter the picture around Wednesday into Thursday. Timing spread opens up quickly: the slower guidance delays most of the snow until Thursday or later, while the snowier Canadian solution starts earlier and is much stronger in southwest Montana and the Tetons. Snow levels and wind impacts move around with that spread, so the safest call for now is a light to moderate reload rather than another major cycle. A few inches are plausible at many resorts, and the favored western Wyoming and southwest Montana terrain has room for 4-8 inches if the stronger scenario wins out.
Snow Forecast Resort Totals (Thu Apr 16 – Sat Apr 18)
- Big Sky – 10-13 inches
- Bridger Bowl – 7-9 inches
- Grand Targhee – 7-9 inches
- Whitefish Mountain – 6-7 inches
- Jackson Hole – 4-6 inches
- Brundage – 2-3 inches
- Tamarack – 2-3 inches
- Schweitzer – 2-3 inches
- Bogus Basin – 2 inches
- Sun Valley – 1 inches
