Posted March 2, 6:37 am MT 5:37 am PT
Snow Stake Cams
MSLP Surface Chart
GFS All Snow
Forecast Discussion
Here we go again, another Pacific storm will bring additional rounds of heavy low elevation rain and mountain snow, with high winds, as usual, for California and the southern Cascades. Sierra crest resorts are in for 2-4 feet by tomorrow morning. Snow levels will start out around 5000 feet and dropping throughout the day, bottoming out around 2000 feet.
The heaviest snow will be today and tonight with a brief break in between bands of precipitation likely by tomorrow morning. Then it will re-fire by lunch, but totals will be modest in comparison to todays.
Palisades Tahoe is sitting at 678 inches, at their 8000 feet snow plot, and will surely reach the 700 Club by tonight. In the last 22 seasons, only 2016-17 reached the 700 mark (707). You can view their snowfall tracking page here. This may be the last big storm for Tahoe. Mammoth is chasing an inch and a half to break the all-time record.
In the Wasatch, the storm system moves to the east reaching Utah resorts by Wednesday afternoon. Expect light totals in the afternoon with the heaviest snow occurring overnight. This is another strong storm that will produce another 15-30 inches for this record season, as several resorts are in record territory. Snow will continue through Friday morning. Alta has a shot at the 800 club by Thursday.
Official Calendar Alta Received
Colorado gets going Thursday afternoon, with the heaviest precipitation falling after the lifts close. Temperature will be warm Thursday, with highs in the low 40’s, but there will be strong winds as the storm approaches. The warms temps will crash overnight settling in the upper teens in the valley, providing a nice powder day Friday.
Forecast
Lake Tahoe
Today
The system is moving in and should begin by 9 am. I am already seeing scattered snow on the Palisades Summit Express cam.
Expect heavy snow with strong winds gusting around 40 mph, at base level, around 70 mph at ridgetop. Temperatures will be in the low to mid 30’s with upper mountain temps in the upper 20’s.
Wednesday
A brief lull in the morning and then the snow continues but not a heavy. Temperatures in the low 30’s at base level and in the mid to low 20’s at the peak. Windis will be much lighter, between 15-20 with gusts around the mid 30’s. Upper mountain wind gust in the mid 40’s.
The snow will continue Wednesday night and should wrap by midnight. Below is the surface wind chart. I thought it looked pretty cool, due to the large circulation of the cut-off low.
Utah
Today
Bluebird day with moderate winds between 15-20 mph.
Wednesday
Next system arrives between mid-morning and noon. Heavy snow expected with totals in the 4-8 range before the lifts close. We will see Temperatures around 30 degrees, and falling throughout the day, settling with a low around 18 degrees at 6700 feet.
Heavy snow throughout the night setting up a nice powder day for Thursday.
Thursday
Snow with heavy snow squalls continuing. Temperatures in the low 20’s at base level with moderate winds between 15-20 mph with ridgetop winds in the 30-mph range, gusting to 40 mph. Snow continues Thursday evening with another nice powder day expected for Friday.
Friday
Snow continues Friday morning but should end by 10 am. Expect scattered snow showers the rest of the day. Temperatures will top out in the mid 20’s with light winds.
Next System Sunday Morning
Colorado
Today thru Wednesday Night
Sunny and warm with temps Tuesday in the upper 30’s and low 40’s by Wednesday. I will break down the storm for tomorrows blog.
Colorado Calendars thru May
Utah Calendar To Date
Tahoe Calendar
Below is the Lake Tahoe Calendar we published back on February 2nd. I have gone back and took a look at the calendars to see how we have done. The green squares are on the Long-Range Forecast prediction chart. Yellow squares are storms that have hit at least one cycle. Red Circles and X’s are misses and the Blue brackets are storms that have hit at within one day.
I am really happy with this calendar. We have tried to figure out the Lake, as it is on a different type of cycle, due to its location away from the general pattern jet stream. We are improving, the patent pending model has made forecasting Lake Tahoe easier.
Long-Range Forecast Predictions are out thru April
Forecasted Areas
Pacific Northwest Cascade Mountains
Crystal Mountain, Mount Hood Meadows, Timberline, 49 Degrees North, Bachelor, Mt Baker,
Lake Tahoe Sierra Mountains
Heavenly, Palisades Tahoe, Kirkwood, Dodge Ridge, Donner Ski Ranch
Utah Wasatch Mountains
Alta, Park City, Deer Valley, Brighton, Snowbird, Brian Head
Colorado Rocky Mountains
Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass, Vail, Beaver Creek, Winter Park, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Powderhorn, Ski Cooper, Telluride, Crested Butte, Silverton, Wolf Creek, Eldora, Loveland
