Weather
A busy January 5–9 stretch brings frequent light-to-moderate refreshers across the Northern Rockies, with the deepest totals focused on Idaho and the Tetons while snow quality trends better and better as the week turns colder. Snow levels start relatively higher in parts of Idaho early in the window, then steadily crash through midweek, flipping more of the precipitation to snow and boosting snow-to-liquid ratios into the 14–20:1 range for a noticeably drier, fluffier feel late Wednesday into Thursday; by Friday, snowfall becomes spottier and lighter, and the pattern leans quieter heading into the weekend with a warmer, drier bias.
Monday–Tuesday sets the stage with on-and-off snowfall and gradually lowering snow levels, with the most meaningful early punches aimed at central and northern Idaho plus the Tetons. In Idaho, snow levels hover around roughly 4,500–5,000 feet early Monday into Tuesday, so lower elevations can skew denser at times with SLRs commonly near 10–12:1 (a thicker, more moisture-laden snow), while mid and upper mountain terrain does far better. Brundage, Tamarack, Bogus Basin, and Schweitzer build a solid base of accumulations during this phase, and Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole keep stacking steady snowfall as snow levels begin to trend downward. Farther north into British Columbia and Alberta, snow levels are already low, keeping precipitation snow-focused with generally higher SLRs and a more wintery feel from the start.
Tuesday night–Wednesday is the main reload window for most areas, then Wednesday night–Thursday turns colder and improves snow quality even where snowfall rates ease. The Idaho resorts are the headline act: Brundage leads the region with a sustained storm total of 17″–23″, with Schweitzer close behind at 12″–18″ and Tamarack at 12″–17″ as snow levels fall sharply and SLRs rise into the mid-teens and upper-teens late in the event. The Tetons stay reliably productive with Grand Targhee at 14″–19″ and Jackson Hole at 10″–14″, with snow levels dropping from around 5,000 feet early to well under 2,000 feet by late week and SLRs climbing into the 16–19:1 range for much better turns. Expect some periods of stronger wind around exposed terrain in this midweek window, including gusts that can reach the 40–50+ mph range at a few higher-elevation resorts, which may affect upper-mountain comfort.
Thursday–Friday keeps intermittent light snow going in spots, but the overall trend is toward tapering snowfall and a calmer, drier setup as the week closes out. Montana and British Columbia still pick up additional inches, though totals are more modest compared to Idaho’s core, with Whitefish at 8″–11″ and Red Mountain at 6″–9″ through Thursday night, and Revelstoke continuing to add up to 10″–14″ by Friday night with consistently favorable snow levels and generally fair-to-good quality (many periods in the 13–17:1 range). Big Sky and Bridger Bowl see lighter totals in this cycle, but both trend colder with improved SLRs mid-to-late week, keeping the surface from feeling too heavy even when snowfall is modest. Beyond this window, the broader pattern favors a ridge and a warmer, drier lean across much of the region, which typically means fewer storms and less frequent refreshers heading into the January 10–18 timeframe.
Resort Forecast Totals
- Brundage – 17″–23″ Mon (01/05) – Fri night (01/09)
- Grand Targhee – 14″–19″ Mon (01/05) – Fri night (01/09)
- Schweitzer – 12″–18″ Mon (01/05) – Thu night (01/08)
- Tamarack – 12″–17″ Mon (01/05) – Fri (01/09)
- Bogus Basin – 10″–14″ Mon (01/05) – Fri night (01/09)
- Revelstoke – 10″–14″ Mon night (01/05) – Fri night (01/09)
- Jackson Hole – 10″–14″ Mon (01/05) – Fri (01/09)
- Whitefish Mountain – 8″–11″ Mon (01/05) – Thu night (01/08)
- RED Mountain – 6″–9″ Mon night (01/05) – Thu night (01/08)
- Big White – 5″–7″ total (3″–5″ Mon night (01/05) – Wed (01/07) + 1″–2″ Wed night (01/07) – Thu night (01/08))
- Banff Sunshine – 5″–6″ total (1″ Mon (01/05) – Mon night (01/05) + 4″–5″ Tue (01/06) – Wed night (01/07))
- Lake Louise – 4″–6″ total (3″–4″ Tue (01/06) – Wed night (01/07) + 1″–2″ Wed night (01/07) – Fri (01/09))
- Big Sky – 3″–5″ Tue night (01/06) – Fri night (01/09)
- Bridger Bowl – 3″–4″ Wed (01/07) – Thu night (01/08)
- Sun Valley – 2″ Tue night (01/06) – Wed night (01/07)
