New Weather Station Live on the Lower Saddle!

Mountain weather is notoriously unpredictable and ever-changing. Here in the Tetons, many people who spend time working and exploring in the mountains rely on accurate weather data to make informed decisions about safety and current conditions.

In 2018, the Foundation teamed up with Grand Teton National Park, the Jenny Lake Rangers, and the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center to install and maintain two winter weather stations in the Disappointment Peak area. One station sits in Surprise Meadow, while the other is positioned in the more exposed terrain on the Surprise Pinnacle. Together, they provide valuable data on snow depth, wind speed and direction, temperature, and other weather conditions in the high country.

Since their installation, these stations have become an important source of information for search and rescue operations, guiding services, avalanche forecasting, park science teams, sand people recreating in the mountains.

This July, that network expanded with the installation of an additional weather station at 11,631 feet on the Lower Saddle, filling an important gap in high-elevation observations. Data from the new station is available in real time on the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center website.

Installing a weather station at this elevation is no small undertaking, and the new station was once again made possible by support from the public and collaboration between the Foundation and its partners.

As winter returns to the high country, the measurements collected at the new station will strengthen local avalanche forecasting and help inform safer decision-making across Grand Teton.