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Heavy Snow in the San Juans

By January 17, 2023One Comment

 

Daily Snow Stakes

GFS Surface Chart Through Thursday

All Snow Version

Forecast Summary

We have snow in the Wasatch and Rocky Mountains today as the present system is working its way through.  While the next system is set to begin in the Pacific Northwest tomorrow night. 

Heavy snow today in the San Juan mountains as we are expecting 8-12 of powder this morning and another 1-2 feet today for Wolf Creek and Silverton.  This system is working its way north northeast and will hit the front range and Denver with 6-10 overnight.  It will be a nice powder day for Loveland, A-Basin and Eldora tomorrow.  

Forecast

Utah

Today:  More snow expected with another 3-5 for Alta and SnowbirdBrighton, Park City and Deer Valley is in the 2-4 range.  

Wednesday and Thursday will have scattered snow showers with not much accumulation.  The next system is a small wave that will come through Thursday night.

Colorado 

Today:   Another 3-5 for Crested Butte and heavy snow for the southern mountains as another 1-2 feet is likely for Wolf Creek and Silverton.  For resorts along the divide, expect 2-4 throughout the day.  The northern resorts get in on the snowfall with 2-4 likely for most areas.  Temperatures will be in the mid to upper 20’s with moderate winds in the 10-15 mph range and 25 mph gusts.  

Tonight:  Snow continues as the models are being more generous that yesterday.  We are looking at snow totals in the 5-10 range for the Northern Mountains and 4-8 for resorts along the divide.

Next System Arrives Thursday Night

 

Flow Comparison This Year vs Last Year (from yesterday)

It is a stark difference in the flow from last year, and really the last two La Nina years, to this year.  

This flow pattern will continue throughout the year until July.  There are always seasonal variations with the flow, such as in summer, the jet stream recedes north, the storms will continue the same flow, but just further north.  This is great news for all of the drought affected areas throughout the west.

Long-Range Predictions thru March (from Monday)

We have our long-range forecast out thru March, there have been a lot of emails regarding the long-range, and I thank you for your patience. Every year, it is very challenging to put all of this together. 

We are getting better and better at figuring out the cycle, what the various teleconnections are, and how likely they are to affect the pattern.  It’s a lot of calculating, analyzing charts, and waiting.  

It is also very rewarding once you figure out what is going on.  Sometimes you think you have it all figured out, only to realize you were wrong. It takes all of the aforementioned process and much more, that I won’t bore you with, but there it is. 

As always you can email me with other resorts and areas you are interested in.  We can forecast for the entire northern hemisphere, so if you are interested in the east coast resorts, Europe, or Canada, just let us know and we will give you a detailed forecast.   

 

Forecasted Areas

Pacific Northwest Cascade Mountains

Crystal MountainMount Hood MeadowsTimberline49 Degrees North,  BachelorMt Baker,

Lake Tahoe Sierra Mountains

HeavenlyPalisades TahoeKirkwoodDodge RidgeDonner Ski Ranch

Utah Wasatch Mountains

AltaPark CityDeer ValleyBrightonSnowbirdBrian Head

Colorado Rocky Mountains

AspenAspen HighlandsSnowmassVailBeaver Creek,  Winter ParkKeystoneArapahoe BasinBreckenridgeCopper MountainPowderhornSki CooperTellurideCrested ButteSilvertonWolf CreekEldoraLoveland

 

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