Posted April 16, 7:09 am MT 6:09 am PT
Snow Stake Cams
MSLP Surface Chart thru Apr 21
All Snow
MSLP Close View and 5 Day Total Snowfall Charts
Forecast Discussion
Pacific Northwest
Snow begins this afternoon for the Pacific Northwest resorts and will continue all week. Today’s totals will be in the 3-5 range for most resorts with snow levels around 2000 feet for the north and 2500 south. High temperatures will be a little warm in the afternoon, mid 30’s on the Oregon side and around the freezing mark for the Washington side but will drop to the low 20’s tonight when the bulk of the precipitation falls.
Tonight’s totals should be in the 5-10 range for Mt Hood, Mt Baker, Mt Bachelor and Crystal with up to a foot of snow for Hoodoo. Snow continues off and on all week with refills each day. the next big wave comes thru on Wednesday. Below is a list of open resorts, as some resorts are only open weekends now, so check before you go.
Lake Tahoe
Sunshine and windy today with cold temps for April–35 degrees for the high today at 6000 ft. The snow hits after midnight tonight with the northern resorts along the crest in the best spot. Double digit totals are possible for Palisades, Sugar Bowl, Homewood and Boreal. The most likely scenario is 4-8 range for the aforementioned resorts. This is a fast-moving band of snow, so it will be out of the area by 10 am.
The jet stream is moving north so this may be the last shot of winter for the Lake, the next best chance will be storm 88 on the 23-24th. It may be just rain or it may stay north. Either way, get out and enjoy this one.
Utah
Bluebird skies this morning with high temperatures this afternoon in the middle 40’s. If your headed to Alta or Snowbird, be aware that 210 is scheduled to close mid-day, due to wet Avalanche risk. There will be a small cold front that will move through in the afternoon, around 3, that may produce a burst of snowfall, but otherwise no precipitation is expected.
Tonight, the California system moves in after midnight. There will likely be an inch or two before sunrise, but the strongest part of the storm should be during the day. Temperatures will be falling throughout the day and settle in the low 20’s by lift closure. Scattered snow showers possible in the evening but not much additional accumulation expected. Event snowfall totals should be in the 6-12 range for Alta, Snowbird, Brighton and Solitude, with 3-5 for Park City, Deer Valley, and Snowbasin.
Next Storm hits Thursday
Colorado
Windy and warm with highs in the 50’s today and tomorrow. The Utah system moves in overnight Tuesday.
Washington and Oregon Resorts Open
Crystal Mountain is open for weekends through May 21st. Mt Baker is open its last day is April 23rd, Stevens Pass is closed and Snoqualmie is open weekends through April 30th.
Oregon resorts open are Mt Hood Timberline Daily, Mt Hood Meadows weekends thru April 29th, Mt Bachelor daily thru May 28th, and Hoodoo weekends thru April 30th.
View from 10,000 feet GFS with Vorticity
Alta 21 inches to 900
3 storms before closing date, Storms 83, 86 and 89
Storm 83 and 86 Storm 83 and 86 are connected and are a two-wave storm. They are a part of a huge low-pressure system that will develop in the Gulf of Alaska in the coming days. If both waves of this storm come through, we should get to within single digits for the last storm. All bets are off, this time of year due to the changing jet stream, so lets hope it hits.
Storm 89
I have this storm hitting on Monday, but it will most likely hit on Alta’s last day. I use averaging when making the long-range forecast, based on the storm’s history. This storm has been a “tweener” meaning it has hit a day early and a day late from cycle to cycle. It is a big storm so there will be at least 2-3 days of precipitation. With luck we will still have cold air in place. Could the 900 mark come down to the last day?
Thanks for reading the blog, as always if you have any questions feel free to comment below, or send me an email to Mike@FutureSnow.CO
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
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