The Sawtooth Mountains are home to Bald Mountain which is called “Baldly” in the Sun Valley-Ketchum Area. The average snowfall is 225 inches with the snowfall the greatest in December and January with an average of 45 inches each month. Temperatures averages are (high/low): Nov 44/14, Dec 32/10, Jan 30/10, Feb 36/12, Mar 40/15 and Apr 52/22. Late spring into early fall are beautiful in the Sawtooth Mountains as the tress come out in the spring, summers are mild with cool nights and in the fall, leaves are very colorful with the reds/oranges/yellows. Temperatures averages are: May 64/29,
Jun 71/35, Jul 83/38, Aug 82/37, Sep 72/30 and Oct 61/23. Showers and thunderstorms are most likely in the July and August and mainly in the afternoons and evenings. The summer heat is dry with low humidity but when the southern moisture is around it becomes somewhat more humid.
El Nino (ocean waters warmer than normal) and La Nina (ocean waters colder than normal) in the central Pacific Ocean influence storm track of winter storms. El Nino supports a southern latitude storm track and La Nina a northern-latitude storm track. Fortunately, southern Idaho is in the northern-latitudes which makes a long range weather forecast somewhat easier to predict.
Some skiers feel the depth of the snow is important and but more importantly is the frequency of storms to keep the snow fresh. A storm every 5-7 days is an ideal scenario. However, during an active storm pattern several feet of snow can accumulate in just a short period of time. On occasion, arctic air from Canada enters from Montana and pours down the Snake River Valley into the Sun Valley area.
The Sawtooth Mountains are prone to avalanches. However, the ski resorts perform avalanche control early in the morning which ensures that the slopes safe for skiing during the day. If you venture into the back-country staying on flat terrain or on slopes that are not too steep (15 degrees or less).
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