Weather
A spring ridge keeps the Northern Rockies mostly dry and warmer through Sunday, but the pattern flips next week as a broader storm cycle spreads back into the mountains. The most useful planning stretch runs from Tuesday, March 31 into early Saturday, April 4, when guidance clusters around several rounds of mountain snow, with the Tetons, Big Sky, and parts of central Idaho favored for the deepest totals. Expect the first part of that cycle to come in fairly dense with higher snow levels, then trend colder and better for snow quality late Thursday into Friday.
Thursday is just a leftover clean-up day, with a little lingering snow in a few western Montana mountains and breezy ridgelines, then the region settles into a dry stretch Friday through Sunday. Guidance is tightly clustered on the ridge holding through the weekend, so confidence is high in quieter weather, warmer afternoons, and classic spring conditions. Expect overnight refreezes followed by softer snow each afternoon, especially at lower and mid elevations, while many open resorts climb into the 40s by Saturday and Sunday.
The next change starts Monday and Tuesday, but that arrival timing is the part of the forecast with the most spread. Guidance agrees on the pattern shift and a bump in wind, but still diverges on how quickly deeper moisture fills in and how much snow falls during the first push. Expect the most exposed terrain to see gusts around 30-45 mph with a few stronger bursts, then precipitation follows with snow levels generally highest in central Idaho and the Tetons, often around 6,000-7,500 feet early. That points to denser snow at the top, roughly 8-11:1, with some rain or mixed precipitation lower down before colder air works in.
Confidence is highest from Tuesday, March 31 into early Saturday, April 4, when the guidance converges on several rounds of mountain snow and a broader cooling trend. Agreement is best on the Wednesday through Friday stretch for widespread accumulation, and the open Tetons, Big Sky, and central Idaho hills look most favored for a 1″-2″ storm total by the time things taper. Early storm snow should stay fairly dense in many Idaho, Wyoming, and southwest Montana locations, then snow levels fall toward 3,000-5,000 feet and snow quality improves into the 12-16:1 range late Thursday into Friday. That should turn conditions from heavy spring powder to lighter refreshes before the signal loosens again next weekend.
Resort Forecast Totals (Tue Mar 31 – Sat Apr 04)
- Grand Targhee – 12″-27″
- Jackson Hole – 9″-20″
- Brundage – 9″-19″
- Big Sky – 9″-19″
- Bridger Bowl – 6″-12″
- Tamarack – 5″-12″
- Schweitzer – 5″-11″
- Bogus Basin – 4″-9″
- Sun Valley – 4″-9″
- Whitefish Mountain – 3″-7″
