Weather
The Northern Rockies stay in an active, mostly west-to-southwest flow pattern through Wednesday night, with the deepest snow focused on the Tetons and the steadiest cold-powder production in the Canadian Rockies. A front-end burst Friday night into Saturday is followed by a warmer, wetter push late Saturday night through Monday that lifts snow levels across much of Idaho and western Wyoming, then a lighter Tuesday night–Wednesday refresh keeps flakes flying. Expect the best overall quality in Alberta and the higher Canadian interior (SLRs largely 14–20:1), while many U.S. resorts see SLRs slide into the 6–12:1 range during the warmest part of the cycle, making for denser, more wind-affected snow where gusts ramp up.
Friday night into Saturday sets the tone with a windier, front-end shot of mountain snow and then a short-lived lull. The Tetons start with a quick, colder burst Friday night, and even though winds are a factor (gusts pushing 50–60 mph at times), snow quality begins fairly respectable before the warmer surge arrives. Across the northern tier into northwest Montana and the Idaho Panhandle, snow levels are low enough for predominantly snow at the resorts, with moderately fluffy periods mixed in early. Farther north, the Canadian Rockies and nearby interior ranges stay firmly cold with snow levels near the valley floors to roughly 1,500–2,000 feet, setting up consistently light-density turns at open areas like Banff Sunshine and Lake Louise as accumulations stack up steadily rather than in one single slam.
Late Saturday night through Monday is the main “warm push,” bringing the bulk of the snow but with rising snow levels and more variable quality across Idaho and western Wyoming. Snow levels climb through Sunday and peak Sunday night into Monday, reaching roughly 6,000–7,800 feet at many central Idaho and western Wyoming locations, so lower elevations can skew wetter while upper mountain terrain holds the best snow. This is when the Tetons cash in on the biggest overall totals, with Jackson Hole trending toward 13″–18″ and Grand Targhee near 12″–17″ by the end of the window, but a meaningful share of that comes with SLRs frequently in the 6–11:1 range, so expect heavier, denser snow during the heart of the surge. In the Idaho Panhandle, Schweitzer keeps producing with 11″–16″ through Wednesday night, though SLRs slip from near the 10–12:1 range toward single digits later, and southwest winds can be disruptive when gusts spike into the 40–50 mph range.
Tuesday into Wednesday continues as a lighter add-on with intermittent snow showers, while Canada stays the most reliably cold and fluffy through the whole stretch. A modest Tuesday night–Wednesday feature refreshes parts of the interior, adding a bit more snow to places like Revelstoke and Big White while keeping snow levels comparatively low there (generally under about 2,500 feet), supporting fair-to-good quality (often 13–16:1). The Canadian Rockies remain the sure bet for consistently light snow, with Banff Sunshine building toward 11″–16″ and Lake Louise near 9″–13″, alongside excellent SLRs mostly in the 16–20:1 range. Looking beyond this window, the pattern favors continued storminess with above-normal precipitation odds and generally mild temperatures, which suggests more frequent systems and periodic wind, plus continued risk of higher snow levels in the U.S. Rockies compared to the colder Canadian side.
Resort Forecast Totals
- Jackson Hole – 13″–18″ total (1″–2″ Fri night (12/19) – Sat (12/20) + 11″–17″ Sat night (12/20) – Tue night (12/23))
- Grand Targhee – 12″–17″ total (2″–2″ Fri night (12/19) – Sat (12/20) + 10″–15″ Sat night (12/20) – Tue night (12/23))
- RED Mountain – 11″–17″ Fri night (12/19) – Wed night (12/24)
- Banff Sunshine – 11″–16″ Fri night (12/19) – Wed night (12/24)
- Schweitzer – 11″–16″ total (4″–5″ Fri night (12/19) – Sun (12/21) + 7″–11″ Sun (12/21) – Wed night (12/24))
- Sun Valley – 10″–14″ Sat night (12/20) – Tue night (12/23)
- Brundage – 10″–14″ Sat night (12/20) – Tue (12/23)
- Lake Louise – 9″–13″ Fri night (12/19) – Wed night (12/24)
- Revelstoke – 7″–11″ total (6″–9″ Fri night (12/19) – Tue night (12/23) + 1″–2″ Tue night (12/23) – Wed night (12/24))
- Tamarack – 7″–11″ Sat night (12/20) – Tue (12/23)
- Whitefish Mountain – 7″–10″ total (3″–4″ Fri night (12/19) – Sun (12/21) + 4″–6″ Sun night (12/21) – Wed night (12/24))
- Big White – 6″–10″ total (5″–6″ Fri night (12/19) – Tue night (12/23) + 2″–3″ Tue night (12/23) – Wed night (12/24))
- Mount Norquay – 4″–6″ total (3″–4″ Sat (12/20) – Mon night (12/22) + 1″–2″ Tue night (12/23) – Wed night (12/24))
- Big Sky – 3″–5″ Sun (12/21) – Tue night (12/23)
- Bogus Basin – 3″–4″ total (2″–3″ Sat night (12/20) – Sun (12/21) + 1″–2″ Sun night (12/21) – Mon night (12/22))
- Bridger Bowl – 2″–2″ Sun (12/21) – Mon night (12/22)
