Weather
A busy February pattern keeps the Northern Rockies in play this week, with a quick Monday refresh, a modest midweek wave, and a longer stretch of on-and-off snow from the weekend into early next week. The most dependable near-term powder targets sit in western Wyoming and southwest Montana, where several small systems stack up and temperatures stay cold enough for solid snow above the bases. Central Idaho trends denser at times as snow levels rise midweek and again early in the weekend storm, then cools down with improving snow quality later. Farther north into the Idaho Panhandle, northwest Montana, and the Interior BC and Alberta resorts, snow levels stay low and snow quality stays more consistently good, even when totals run lighter.
Monday’s cold-front snow tapers to scattered mountain showers tonight, leaving a light refresh with some wind to start the week. Expect the most consistent accumulation along the higher terrain from the Tetons into southwest Montana, where west winds stay active with gusts commonly in the 30–45 mph range on exposed ridges. Snow levels hover roughly 3,500 to 5,000 feet, so the best turns stay mid-mountain and up while lower valleys remain warmer. SLRs mostly land in the 12–16:1 range, which points to moderate snow quality with pockets of drier snow where temperatures sit in the 20s °F. The HRRR and the ECMWF handle the timing similarly, and the GFS tracks closely on the overall signal, so confidence stays solid on a quick-hit reset and improving conditions on Tuesday.
Tuesday night through Thursday brings the next wave, with light to locally moderate snow and a noticeable uptick for the Tetons. Central Idaho resorts pick up light periods of snow Tuesday night and Wednesday, then snow levels climb into the 5,000 to 5,700 foot range by Wednesday night and Thursday in parts of western Wyoming and the south-central Idaho mountains. That higher snow level favors denser snow near the bases and better accumulation higher on the hill. SLRs generally run around 10–13:1 in southern Idaho, closer to 12–14:1 in the Tetons, and nearer 14–16:1 in southwest Montana, so snow quality ranges from dense to fairly good depending on elevation. Ridge-top winds stay mostly manageable in the 10–25 mph range, with occasional higher gusts near the Divide. The ECMWF, the GFS, and the AIFS cluster on the midweek timing, and the ICON supports a light follow-up signal even though exact placement varies by resort.
Friday into early next week turns more active, with snow returning in waves and snow levels trending lower as the period goes on. The first push Friday night into Saturday favors the Idaho Panhandle, northwest Montana, and the Interior BC and Alberta resorts, where snow levels stay low near 800 to 2,900 feet and SLRs commonly sit in the 12–17:1 range, with Alberta often pushing 16–19:1 for very light snow. Farther south into central Idaho and western Wyoming, snow levels start higher around 4,800 to 5,500 feet early in the weekend, so expect wetter snow at the bases and better quality higher up, then a steady cooling trend brings snow levels down toward 2,700 to 3,300 feet by Tuesday and Wednesday with SLRs climbing into the 13–17:1 range. Winds look breezy at times on the ridgelines, and exposed peaks could see gusts pushing 35–45 mph later in the period. The GFS and the GDPS keep trying to amplify the cold push and boost totals, while the ECMWF and the AIFS stay steadier, so confidence is higher on frequent refresh opportunities than on the exact placement of the biggest late-window bursts.
Resort Forecast Totals (02/09–02/14)
- Jackson Hole – 9″–14″
- Grand Targhee – 7″–11″
- Brundage – 3″–6″
- Schweitzer – 3″–5″
- Big Sky – 3″–5″
- Bogus Basin – 2″–4″
- Tamarack – 2″–4″
- Revelstoke – 2″–3″
- Sun Valley – 2″–3″
- Bridger Bowl – 2″–3″
- RED Mountain – 2″–3″
- Big White – 1″–3″
- Whitefish Mountain – 1″–3″
- Lake Louise – 1″–2″
- Banff Sunshine – 1″–2″
