Posted March 5, 7:04 MT 6:04 PT
DeJa’Vu at Solitude
It happened again; Solitude has a full board–3 feet of Powder! Wow, didn’t see that coming, but the models have struggled all year with amounts. Especially in Colorado. It was just last Tuesday, the 28th that Solitude was buried with 32 inches. I had 20 inches on the high end. Amazing.
Daily Snow Stake
GFS Surface
All Snow HRRR (high resolution)
Forecast Summary
Scattered snow showers in the Pacific Northwest today as the next round will get cranking later this morning. Heavy snow and Winter Storm Warnings still in effect for the Sierra as Lake Tahoe is getting slammed again with 100 mph ridgetop winds and another 2-5 feet of snow.
It is looking better for the storm to grow and not have a break on Wednesday, like we discussed yesterday. Let’s have a no sun week for the Lake! Check the websites for closures, before heading out. I-80 is still closed at Colfax.
Meanwhile in Utah, a huge powder day as the road to Alta and Snowbird is clear and already starting to pick up with traffic. Alta is over 600 inches for the year reporting 19 today. Deer Valley 19, Brighton 23 and of course Solitude 3 feet, although officially they are reporting 23–hmm.
Snow later this morning for Colorado resorts, where the energy appears to be weakening. Expect the storm to be mainly for the central and northern mountains. I’m sticking with the totals I posted yesterday, hoping that the models continue to be on the light side.
Forecast
Colorado
Today
The storm gets cranking around mid to late morning tomorrow. Cold windchills in the negative single digits. Expect strong winds between 25-30 mph with gusts up to up to 50 mph.–dress warm. The winds die down in the evening, likely after the lifts close.
Monday
Scattered snow showers throughout the day with the sun poking through. Temperatures will be much nicer, in the upper 20’s with moderate winds between 20-25 mph with gusts in the low 40-s.
Next Wave Tuesday
Lake Tahoe
Hour by Hour HRRR Chart
Wind (click to animate)
Surface Wind
Ridgetop Wind
Today
Heavy snow continues with strong winds from the southwest from 35-45 mph and gusts up to 60 mph. Temperatures in the mid-teens with wind chills in the negative single digits. Ridgetop winds too high for upper mountain lifts, like you would want to go there anyway. Whiteout vertigo is real!
Monday
Monday will be the best day to ride. Temps in the high teens with light winds 15-20. Snow will continue throughout the day, but totals should be light.
Utah
Today
Saturday will start out dry as the next system moves in around 10 am. Cold temperatures and strong winds remain with windchills again near zero. Winds in the 15-25 mph range with gusts around 30 mph.
Sunday
Snow continues throughout the morning with light totals expected. Temperatures will be in the mid 20’s with moderate winds between 15-20 mph.
Pacific Northwest
Today
The next wave moves in during mid-morning for the northern Cascades and around 11 for the Oregon resorts. Expect another 2-4 throughout the day for both Washington and Oregon resorts.
Calendar Update
I have had a few inquiries about our March calendars, specifically about how the calendars relate to the Long-range forecast predictions. One reader pointed out a flaw that I have corrected for the Colorado calendar. March 12th should have been dark blue, and March 31st should have been light blue. That has been corrected.
The calendars have a few changes on some specific dates that are different than the official prediction chart. You may have noticed on the LRFPC (Long-Range Forecast Prediction Chart) that storms have been showing up, consistently, a day early. With that in mind, I have adjusted some dates forward on the calendars to reflect that difference. I do not ever change the LRFPC, because once those predictions are made,
I would love to add a whole bunch of data to the calendars but simply don’t have the time. Hopefully, I will be able to get things in place for the April, May and June calendars for select Colorado resorts that stay open late. Below is the Colorado calendar before and after. Thanks for reading the blog, as always, if you have any questions please feel free to comment below or email to Mike@FutureSnow.co.
Before
After
Utah and Pacific Northwest
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
