Climate and Weather: Teton Range
Located in northwestern Wyoming, Teton National Park protects spectacular mountain scenery and a diverse collection of wildlife. The central feature of the park—the Teton Range—is a 40-mile-long mountain front rising from the valley floor some 6,000 feet. The towering Tetons were formed from earthquakes that occurred over the past 13 million years along a fault line. The jagged range includes its signature peak – Grand Teton, 13,770 feet – and at least twelve pinnacles over 12,000 feet. Seven morainal lakes adorn the base of the range, and more than 100 alpine lakes dot the backcountry.
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Sitting on the eastern edge of the Great Basin, the north-south-trending Tetons rise dramatically from the floor of Jackson Hole without any foothills along an active fault-block mountain front system. Because it forms one of the first tall barriers to moisture sweeping eastward from the Pacific Ocean, much of the range's precipitation falls as snow during winter and spring, but summers and fall are generally dry and pleasant, with the always-present possibility of thunderstorms.
Jackson Hole has long, cold winters. The first heavy snows fall by the beginning of November and continue through March. Snow and frost are possible during any month. By May and June, mild days and cool nights alternate with rain and occasional snow. Valley trails are snow covered until late May. Warm days and cool nights prevail during July and August, with afternoon thundershowers common. In autumn, sunny days and cold nights alternate with rain and occasional snow storms.
The local climate is semi-arid with a yearly extreme high of 93 °F and extreme low of -46 °F. Average annual snowfall is 191 inches and average rainfall is 10 inches. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Grand Teton National Park was -63 °F, and snow often blankets the landscape from early November to late April.