TETON VILLAGE, Wyo. — Buckrail photographer Nick Sulzer had his head in the clouds while capturing an inversion at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) on Thursday, Jan. 16.
On winter mornings, a blanket of clouds hovering over the Jackson Hole Valley is a sure sign of a temperature inversion: when the air in the valley is colder than the air above it.
According to JHMR, temperatures on the upper mountain can be 30 to 40 degrees warmer than at the valley floor. Often a sight to behold from Teton Pass or the Jackson Hole Tram, inversions make for a dramatic view at higher elevations.
This phenomenon occurs because cold air is denser than warm air and therefore it sinks and fills in lower elevation areas. A temperature inversion is more likely when the sky is clear and the wind is calm, according to the National Weather Service. An inversion typically happens in the late afternoon/early evening (before sunset) and lingers into the next morning (after sunrise) for a few hours.
According to Buckrail Meteorologist Alan Smith, an arctic cold front will move through Wyoming over the next few days, ushering in the coldest temperatures of the season. During this time, if the sky remains clear, an inversion could be likely.
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