Here are the updated outlook maps for this winter, heading into 2022. These are from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center and were updated in mid-December 2021 and are the most current outlooks for temperatures and precipitation for the period January through March 2022 for the USA. Temperature Outlook: January-March 2022 Precipitation Outlook: January-March 2022 This update … Continue reading Winter Outlook into 2022 →

The first hints of fall weather have begun to arrive in the Rockies, and while the Autumnal Equinox is still a week away, I thought it was time to take a look at what might be in store for winter season, 2021-22. I live in Jackson Hole, WY where the zest for snow never seems … Continue reading The Early Outlook for Winter 2021-22 →

There has been much talk around Jackson Hole the past few weeks about the drought, the rising fire danger and how this summer is shaping up to be just like the Summer of 1988, when Yellowstone had 800,000 acres scorched by wildfires. Those fears have some validity, however, every summer’s fire season shapes up differently. … Continue reading Hot, Dry Start to Summer is Not Good for Fires →

Jackson Hole, WY was looking at a dry spring with well below normal precipitation in both March and April 2021. Early May brought some rain and snow, but it was really the 8-day period between May 18th and 26th that saved the day. May ended up well above normal in the precipitation department and brought … Continue reading Jackson Hole Spring 2021 Weather Re-Cap →

The astronomical spring season officially began in the Rockies with the Vernal Equinox that occurred at 3:37 a.m. MDT on Saturday March 20th. It is that time of year when warm, sunny days can lull you into a bout of spring fever only to be squashed by a return to a stretch of winter-like conditions. … Continue reading The Arrival of Spring →

This is a compilation of all of the weather stats for the Town of Jackson, WY for the year 2020, the stats that become part of the story of our local climate. Data presented comes from the from the Jackson Climate Station, located on the north end of town. As you will see, 2020 went … Continue reading 2020: Another Cold & Snowy Year in Jackson Hole →

Every year in early autumn I will present some sort of prognostication of what the coming winter will be like. For skiers, snowboarders and snow-machiners, in general, all they really care about is that it will be a “SNOWY’” winter, providing bountiful powder to shred. That’s the only reason to even look at a long-range … Continue reading Winter 2020-21 Outlook →

Cooler temps and some rain have helped squelch some of the forest fires that have been raging this summer across the Western United States. As we head into fall, conditions should improve. However,  fire-weather season is never really over until the snow falls! This post will provide some resources for you to track the location … Continue reading Fire Weather Resources →

As high-pressure was building a semi-permanent home over the Western United States during the first couple of weeks in August, temperatures were heating up, as it often does this time of year. Very warm temperatures and little to no precipitation resulted in a rapidly developing and dangerous fire season across the Western United States. Around … Continue reading Weather Dictates an Elevated Fire Danger →

One of my all-time favorite weather books is Defining the Wind, by Scott Huler. It is the story of Sir Francis Beaufort (1774-1857), an admiral in the British Navy, former head of the British Hydrographic Office and the first person to quantify the wind. Beaufort had great observational weather skills. After years of sailing the … Continue reading Defining the Wind →