Weather
This forecast was created at 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 23, 2025.
A warm, windy midweek storm cycle across the Northern Rockies will be followed by a sharper cool-down late week, improving snow quality as snow levels crash and temperatures tumble. Early light snow favors the Canadian Rockies, then a milder surge Wednesday night through Friday brings higher snow levels and denser accumulations at many Idaho and Wyoming resorts before a colder Friday night into Saturday finish drops snow levels to the valley floors and boosts SLRs into much fluffier territory; storm totals top out around 14″–20″ at Brundage, with several other standouts landing in the 7″–13″ range.
Tuesday night through Wednesday night starts things off with lighter, colder snow focused on the Canadian Rockies. Snow levels stay low here (generally around 1,000–4,500 feet), keeping precipitation solidly snow at the ski areas, with temperatures mainly in the teens to 20s and SLRs commonly in the 14–18:1 range for notably good quality. Totals are modest but steady: Banff Sunshine and Mount Norquay each pick up a few inches through Thursday, while Big White posts its first round of light accumulation through Wednesday night with SLRs near 9–12:1, so expect a denser layer mixed in with the drier flakes. Winds during this opening phase are not a primary limiting factor at the listed resorts, but keep an eye on exposed terrain, where periodic gusts can still be noticeable.
Wednesday night through Friday brings the main warm-and-windy push, with higher snow levels and more variable quality across Idaho, western Montana, and western Wyoming. Snow levels rise quickly during the surge, often reaching 6,000–9,000 feet, which favors higher terrain while pushing lower elevations toward wetter snow or mixed precipitation. That’s most evident at the higher-snow-level resorts like Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee early in the storm, where SLRs start in the 6–10:1 range (dense) before improving later as temperatures fall and snow levels drop. Idaho resorts also deal with a wind component, with sustained speeds frequently in the teens and 20s mph and gusts locally pushing 40–55 mph in the more exposed windows, which can make upper-mountain conditions feel harsh even as snowfall continues. By Thursday night into Friday, cooling begins in earnest and SLRs trend upward into the 10–16:1 range, setting the stage for better quality heading into the weekend.
Friday night into Saturday is the quality finisher, as colder air floods in and snow levels plunge, improving conditions even where totals are lighter. Snow levels drop dramatically across much of the region, reaching the valley floors by Saturday at several locations, while temperatures fall into the teens and single digits at many mid to upper elevations. This is when snow quality improves the most, with SLRs often climbing into the 14–20:1 range, so new snow will be lighter and more ski-friendly than the earlier dense rounds. Whitefish and Schweitzer both trend toward much better SLRs late in the event, and Grand Targhee finishes with very high SLRs as snow levels fall toward 1,500–2,200 feet by late weekend. Most areas quiet down by Saturday night into Sunday, bringing a welcome break. Looking ahead, the late-December through early-January pattern leans warmer than normal overall while still favoring near- to above-normal precipitation across much of the Northern Rockies, so additional storm chances remain on the table, though timing and snow levels will likely remain variable.
Resort Forecast Totals
- Brundage – 14″–20″ Wed night (12/24) – Sat night (12/27)
- Grand Targhee – 9″–13″ Wed night (12/24) – Sun (12/28)
- Revelstoke – 8″–12″ total (3″–4″ Wed (12/24) – Thu (12/25) + 5″–8″ Thu night (12/25) – Sat (12/27))
- Banff Sunshine – 7″–11″ total (3″–4″ Tue night (12/23) – Thu (12/25) + 4″–7″ Thu night (12/25) – Sat night (12/27))
- Jackson Hole – 7″–11″ Wed night (12/24) – Sat night (12/27)
- Big White – 7″–10″ total (2″–3″ Tue night (12/23) – Wed night (12/24) + 5″–7″ Thu (12/25) – Fri night (12/26))
- Lake Louise – 7″–10″ total (3″–4″ Wed (12/24) – Thu (12/25) + 4″–6″ Thu night (12/25) – Sat night (12/27))
- Sun Valley – 7″–10″ Wed (12/24) – Sat (12/27)
- RED Mountain – 6″–9″ Thu (12/25) – Fri night (12/26)
- Whitefish Mountain – 6″–9″ Thu night (12/25) – Sat night (12/27)
- Tamarack – 6″–8″ Thu night (12/25) – Sat night (12/27)
- Schweitzer – 5″–8″ Thu night (12/25) – Sat (12/27)
- Mount Norquay – 4″–7″ total (2″–3″ Tue night (12/23) – Thu (12/25) + 2″–4″ Thu night (12/25) – Sat night (12/27))
- Big Sky – 4″–6″ Wed night (12/24) – Sat night (12/27)
- Bogus Basin – 4″–6″ Thu night (12/25) – Sat night (12/27)
