(This article first appeared in the Mountain Weather column in the Jackson Hole News & Guide on Feb. 1st, 2017). Winter is half over, but already huge! The first half of the winter season draws to a close on Thursday, February 2nd, Groundhog’s Day. That is the halfway point between December’s Solstice and March’s Equinox. … Continue reading February 2nd Marks Halfway Point of Winter →

Normally at end of the year, I like to review the weather highlights for the past 12 months. However, this December had so much weather to talk about, that I could easily fill this space with the highlights from this past month alone. Which is what I will do. Two weeks from now, in the … Continue reading A Good Old-Fashioned December in Jackson Hole →

6:00 am MST Wednesday December 28th, 2016: On the Upper Mountain at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, the settled snow depth at the bottom of Rendezvous Bowl (Elevation: 9,580-ft.) stood at 93 inches. That is the second deepest snowdepth for this date, in the last 42 years of records for that site. The only other … Continue reading JHMR Goes Deep, Top to Bottom! →

(This article first appeared in the Jackson Hole News & Guide, Nov. 23rd, 2016 issue.) About a week or so ago, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center announced that, “La Nina conditions were present and favored to persist through the winter 2016-17”. This caused local skiers and boarders to rejoice with primal screams of joy and dreams … Continue reading La Nina is here. So what does that mean? →

(This article originally appeared in the Jackson Hole News & Guide on Oct. 26, 2016) At the very end of August, in this column, I gave you the early, early winter outlook for 2016-17. That was ridiculously early to be talking about winter. Now that we are deep into October, have some snow on the ground, … Continue reading The Updated Winter Outlook →

The Summer Forecast Was.. First though, let’s see how accurate the long-range predictions were for this summer. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center had forecasted back in April of 2016, that June-July-August over western Wyoming: a good probability of above normal temperatures, and a higher probability of having above normal precipitation. Just for giggles, … Continue reading Summer in Jackson Hole 2016, in Review →

Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey We are one-year away from the Solar Eclipse that will be visible across the United States on August 21st, 2017. I was watching the weather this past week to see where the best locations — the most cloud-free spots– would be, IF the eclipse had occurred this August. A few days ago, … Continue reading Solar Eclipse Weather Pre-Check →

Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey (Note: the content of this post first appeared in the MountainWeather column in the Jackson Hole News & Guide on July 20, 2016). Every summer I feel obliged to reiterate a few important points about lightning safety. Maybe this will be your first time hearing this message, or maybe an annual reminder … Continue reading Playing it Safe During Thunderstorms →

Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey (Note: Content in this post first appeared in the MountainWeather column in the Jackson Hole News & Guide June 8, 2016) Sometimes, the forecast can be confusing or misleading, especially when it comes to understanding the “probability of precipitation. In this week’s column I will explain what those percentages really mean, by … Continue reading Understanding Your Weather Prognosis →