2016-2017 Snowpack

It looks like it is adding up to be a really good winter for the Mountain West. I remember the near record year for NW Wyoming in 2010-2011. The high country was a whole month later then usual and some of the snow up high never melted that summer. And the mosquitoes were absolutely atrocious. The Tetons above Teton Village are recording already 282 inches of snow for the season, from this morning. And more is forecast from this storm. It will mean also for the spring and summer, for a good portoin of the west, high water during the runoff wayyy into the summer. It will need watching. But the mountain wilds will be green, lush, and full of flowers though when the snow does melt and everything greens up.
 
2010-2011 was quite unique in that it was average or mediocre until the spring when the snow really started coming.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the winter and spring plays out. We just had over a foot of snow melt off in 24 hours here in SLC. Crazy warm out there all of the sudden.
 
Hey Kayla! Driving was treacherous this morning south of town, dug and then pulled out two ladies who'd hydroplaned in to the moisture laden banks. Water on top of ice is not cool, remember that for a couple of weeks in places on Colfax in Denver 30 years ago. January thaw is going to be brief though, we should be back below zero Thursday or Friday morning. It is now 74 degrees warmer than it was Friday morning. 70 warmer than Saturday morning.
 
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Now with the way this winter is proceeding, we could easily have another winter like 96-96 or 2010-2011. This is at least here for NW Wyoming and the nearby country. Yes in 2010-2011, the snow kept coming and coming even after the ski areas closed. I remember people were even skiing in some places even up to July if I remember correctly. Now even diehard skiers got tired of the snow if I remember correctly. I remember the Elk Refuge near Jackson did not open their back road back to Flat Creek till Mid May, when it is usually May 1st. This snowstorm has dumped tons and tons of snow in the High Country from Utah and Wyoming to the West Coast. The Snotel sites up in Pacific Creek (with the snotel site saying 152 % or normal, on top of the Two Ocean Plateau (142 % of normal), up the Snake River, (with 151 % of normal) up Granite Creek (the Gros Ventres, and 176 % of normal), are right now way above normal. Heard early this morning that Grassy Lake (between Grand Teton NP and SW part of Yellowstone NP, has received 48 inches from this storm alone. It will need to be closely monitored if one is like me already making plans and thinking of the hiking to come in the next spring and summer, at least in NW Wyoming and also elsewhere with lots of snow from this winter.

In 2011, I started my hiking near June 1st after Memorial Day in the Teton Wilderness. The Soda Fork Meadows at near 7400 feet became probably the greenest I had ever seen it. I did not get back to the Thorofare till July that year. I have many many many times gone back to the Yellowstone's Thorofare since 1982. The conditions in crossing the Yellowstone meadows in the Thorofare in July were just like in early June with standing water and marsh everywhere. The mosquitoes that summer near Two Ocean Pass and in the Yellowstone's Thorofare were absolutely atrocious with covering me in the thousands of bugs at onetime. In all my time in hiking since 1978, that has been the number one time of encountering the most mosquitoes ever at onetime anywhere. I remember looking up to the high country in mid July and seeing nothing but snow (in the Absarokas) and seeing it was like June in most years. I will never easily forget the summer of 2011.

But if these snowstorms continue like this, and the snow continues to fall like this with espicelly up high. For all of us making plans to be in that high country wilds next spring, this winter could change some plans. It will bear watching.

Wishing Everyone the Best!
 
They have changed the long range seasonal outlook. It looks like we will fall back into normal precip levels but we will not have the above average temps we've had of late until into summer. Looks Like other places in the west will rain and melt a lot faster though. Without a lot of above average spring precip I don't see a 2011 reprise. Of course, anything can happen but I've found these maps pretty darn accurate over many years.

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/seasonal.php?lead=3
 
Dave said:
This might be the year to float the Chute of Muddy.
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I was just thinking the same thing. Count me in. Up around 200% of normal in some parts of the state over there now:

https://www.usbr.gov/UC_SnowMap/

And at this rate, I'm betting Lake Powell goes up higher than it's been in 5 years. I'm guessing around 3650' HWM. You suckers that haven't walked the Fiftymile narrows are about to miss your opportunity until it goes back down someday. You have until late May/June. Get on it.

snowpack.jpg
 
The Wasatch has been all time on the splitboard this season! Uintas are stacked right now. Its gonna take a heat wave to melt all of that. Might be a later start out there this year. Been a bit since we have been sitting on this much this early.
 
Nick said:
And at this rate, I'm betting Lake Powell goes up higher than it's been in 5 years. I'm guessing around 3650' HWM. You suckers that haven't walked the Fiftymile narrows are about to miss your opportunity until it goes back down someday. You have until late May/June. Get on it.

View attachment 51986
Click to expand...
HMMM....food for thought this spring. Been a while since we've been way out on HITR rd.
Funny..I often gauge the season snow depth by how high it is on my walkway. I live in snow country. The ski area is 5 minutes from my house. My visual indicator is valley snow depth at 7000' elev and not the much higher inflated amounts on all the passes and upper ski area. Seems like a pretty normal year with snowbanks not overly huge. I like seeing the numbers though!! I'll take 137% in a heartbeat.
Here's to a long river season!!

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This year has been the perfect combo of great snow conditions and a lot of work freedom. I have been able to get out 3-4 times/week this season and it seems like the majority of my days are powder days. This has been the best season I have had in probably 15 years. Monday and Tuesday this week were all time.
 
Now looking at the snowpack here in Jackson Hole and NW Wyoming here at the later end of January. The snowstorms seems now to be lessening some bit. We are now starting to have some periods of nice sunny weather rather then the constant storms of the early winter. Right now above Teton Village in the Tetons, they have received right under 350 inches of snow for the season. This means to get even near the record for the snowfall that they received in the record breaking winter of '96 -'97 or close t0 the winter of 2010 - 2011, they would need an additional 350 to 400 inches of snow. In both those winters by early April, the snowfall had exceeded 700 inches of snowfall with the record in '96 - '97 being near 750 inches. At accuweather awhile back, could see that they were predicting more sunnier periods of weather ahead. If we continue to get these off and on sunny periods of weather lasting like a week or so, then we might come out Above Normal in our Snowpack with over 500 inches in total, but Not Record Breaking as it looked earlier. It is as Absarokanut said in his post above, it is starting to look like we are indeed falling back into more normal precipitation levels, which again would mean in the end Above Normal Snowpack for the winter but Not Record Breaking. It bears to keep on monitoring the situation. I have seen winters where it was way above normal in the snowpack, but the summers became hot and dry with the trails later becoming nothing but powder and the flowers wilting. But other years with a below normal winter snowpack with tons of spring moisture, with the summer flowers everywhere, like in 2007. Personally am getting to near the point that can hardly wait to get back out there hiking and camping in those deep back wilds again. And it will be for myself personnally, back to the Yellowstone's Thorofare and the wonderful wild Absarokas in NW Wyoming.

Just for whatever it is worth.
 
Now just posting an snowfall update above the local conditions here in NW Wyoming. We have just been clobbered again here in NW Wyoming for over a week to a week and a half easily with tons and tons of snow. And more snowfall is expected. We are easily receiving near record snowfall here for NE Wyoming currently. Total above Teton Village, they have received over 400 inches of snowfall for the season. It is about 403 inches of snowfall. We are approaching the record snowfall that happened here in the winter of 1996 - 1997. By this time in 1997, the snowfall was near 450 inches with a depth of 133 inches. Right now we seem to be coming in second, with easily surpassing 2011, with about 403 inches of snowfall right now, and on top with right now a snow depth of 125 inches. Right Close to 1997 at this time. And more snow is forecast for here all the way thru the weekend. I was looking at some snow maps and sites ... the Teton Range, the Wind River Range, the Absarokas with Yellowstone and other places here in NW Wyoming were absolutely clobbered clobbered bigtime the last some days and it is forecast to continue.

So I admonish people, if you have plans like myself, for spring and summer hiking here in NW Wyoming ... maybe better start making some alternative plans for their is still lots of winter to come till May. And in 2011, places in the backcountry in July were like June and then also the mosquitoes were absolutely everywhere.

Just forewarning everyone. Wishing Everyone the Best!
 
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This is incredible! Micro Spikes are about to become a summer equipment item (yikes)


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Remember .............. global warming .................... long way to summer yet, can melt fast. Here's a recent pic in Island Park......... I have 4 1/2 feet on the flat.
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