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 →

Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey It seems like weather predictions for the coming winter are beginning earlier and earlier every year. They used to come out in early October, then it was September, now they are appearing in mid-August. The early release of the Old Farmer’s Almanac hit the major media a couple weeks ago. You can … Continue reading The Early Winter Outlook →

Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey (Note: The article in this post was originally published in the Jackson Hole News and Guide on August 19, 2015).The comments and questions are starting to come more often now, about the current El Nino and how it will affect our winter. I blame the bigger media outlets for creating this hype, … Continue reading Hyper-El Nino may be Over-hyped →

Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey An unusually cold Low pressure system for late July moved across the Northern Rockies on Monday, July 27th, 2015 , bringing with it  a dramatic drop in temperatures, and snow to the higher elevations of the Teton Range in western Wyoming, as well as some strong, gusty winds. SNOWSnow was observed at … Continue reading Snow in July in theTetons →

Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey We were underneath a Southwesterly flow this week in western Wyoming out ahead of a Trof of Low-pressure that was over the western US. That kept a decent supply of moist and unstable air overhead that produced late day thunderstorms on Monday, none on Tuesday, and then as that Trof got closer, … Continue reading July 15,2015 Thunderstorms →

Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey Almost everyone probably agrees that we had a weird winter, not just here in Jackson Hole, but across the entire United States. Characterized by warmer and drier than normal conditions in the Western United States and Alaska, contrasted by unusually cold and record breaking snow in the Eastern United States. Even though … Continue reading What can we blame this winter’s weather on? →