How much snow did Sun Valley - Bald Mountain get?
NOAA's snowfall estimate for Sun Valley - Bald Mountain, Idaho: the last 24 hours, the last 72 hours and the season so far, next to the National Weather Service forecast. Not the resort's own snow report.
Estimated snowfall, base area — lowest mapped lift station, 5,761 ft (1,756 m)
Last 24 hours
0.9 in
24 h ending 6 am Sat MT
NOAA may still revise this.
Last 72 hours
0.9 in
72 h ending 6 am Sat MT
NOAA may still revise this.
This season
2.2 in
Since Wed, Sep 30 · through 6 am Sat MT
NOAA may still revise this.
A gridded estimate for one ~4 km cell, not a measurement at your door. Updated 39 min ago. Snowfall estimate: NOAA/NWS National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC).
Mountain accuracy. Mountain estimates often run low in big storms: on days with 6 in or more, this estimate came to about 80–85% of what high-elevation observers measured (western US, winters 2024–26). How we checked.
Recent snow days at Sun Valley - Bald Mountain
- 24 h ending Sat, Oct 31, 6 am MT0.9 in
- 24 h ending Tue, Oct 27, 6 am MT0.5 in
Sun Valley - Bald Mountain at a glance
- State
- Idaho
- Lowest mapped lift station
- 5,761 ft (1,756 m)
- Highest mapped lift station
- 9,121 ft (2,780 m)
- Vertical between them
- 3,360 ft (1,024 m)
- Mapped lifts
- 11
- Mapped downhill runs
- 143
Official sources
- Sun Valley - Bald Mountain — the resort's own snow report, lifts and conditions
- Sawtooth Avalanche Center — avalanche forecast for the Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns zone, before you go beyond the ropes
- Idaho road conditions — closures, chain rules and travel times from the state
Resort names, lifts and elevations © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via OpenSkiMap, with Skimap.org, Who's On First and Mapterhorn. Mapped data can be incomplete. Resort list (ODbL).
Want snow totals and storm alerts for Sun Valley - Bald Mountain on your phone? The SnowDex iPhone app is in the works.
Snow at Sun Valley - Bald Mountain: common questions
Is this Sun Valley - Bald Mountain's own snow report?
No. It is NOAA's gridded snowfall estimate for one ~4 km cell at the resort's lowest mapped lift station. Resorts measure at their own stakes, often near the top, and report on their own schedule — the numbers can differ a lot. For terrain, lifts and conditions, check the resort itself (sunvalley.com).
Why is mountain snow so hard to estimate?
In the mountains a few hundred metres of elevation can double the snowfall, and wind moves it around. A ~4 km grid cell blends all of that, and there are few observers up high to correct it — treat these numbers as a rough guide.
Is this a forecast or what actually fell?
Both, kept apart. The totals are NOAA's estimate of snow that already fell, for fixed windows ending at 12:00 or 00:00 UTC. The table below them is the National Weather Service forecast for the next 72 hours.
Where these numbers come from
- Snow that fell: NOAA National Snowfall Analysis
- Published by NOAA’s National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC) on a ~4 km grid of the contiguous US. It blends radar-based precipitation estimates, a snow-to-liquid ratio and reports from volunteer and cooperative observers. 24-hour totals end at 12:00 and 00:00 UTC and appear about two hours later; 72-hour and season totals are built from the daily 12:00 UTC analysis. NOAA re-runs each analysis for about five days as late reports arrive, so a total can change.
- Snow that’s coming: National Weather Service
- The NWS gridpoint forecast for the spot: snowfall, ice, temperature, chance of precipitation and wind in 6-hour steps for the next 72 hours.
- What it cannot tell you
- A grid estimate is not a ruler in your yard. Snow drifts, settles and melts; totals can change a lot within a few miles; and narrow lake-effect bands can fall between grid cells. Treat these numbers as a good estimate for your area, not a measurement at your door.