Daily Snow Stake
GFS Surface
All Snow GFS
Forecast Summary
Snow continues in the Pacific Northwest as the first wave moves into Utah. We are beginning to see the storm show up on radar. Click to animate.
The center of the Low pressure is still up in the Gulf of Alaska. It will slide down the coast and will reach Seattle tonight, around midnight. Most of the energy remains offshore until Saturday Morning when it reaches Lake Tahoe, around 10. Heavy snow ensues–“dogs and cats living together…mass hysteria!” 1-2 feet expected.
The center of Low-pressure gets stuck and spins off the coast of Seattle and ejects the first band that will reach Utah by Saturday, with moderate snowfall during the day then double-digits likely overnight. That wave reaches western Colorado by Sunday morning.
Another band is ejected from the counterclockwise rotation of the Low, late Saturday night, bringing another round of heavy snow for the Lake. 2-3 feet expected by afternoon Sunday. That second wave reaches Utah during the day Sunday.
The Low is like the Energizer Bunny, it keeps spinning off the coast of Seattle, by the help of an area of High pressure, just below the Aleutian Islands, that stretches south to within a thousand miles of Hawaii. The Low-Pressure system will continue to be stationary, spinning, until Thursday or Friday and continue to shed precipitation bands.
Last Time Thru
Present Storm
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
Forecast
Colorado
Today and Tonight
Scattered snow showers throughout the day with breaks in between bands. The heaviest amounts will fall around the Steamboat area, where 8-12 is expected for the area. Expect storm totals of 4-6 for the Vail/Beaver Creek area and 2-4 likely for areas along the divide and central mountains. Little to no snow for the southern San Juans.
Temperatures will be in the mid 20-s to around 30, with light winds between 5-10 mph for the northern and central mountains. Expect strong winds along the passes, especially along the divide where 15-15 mph is likely with 40 mph gusts.
Tomorrow
Sunny to partly sunny for most of the day, as the next system approaches Sunday night. Temperatures will be in the upper 20’s to lower 30’s with moderate winds between 15-25 mph with gusts around 40 mph.
Lake Tahoe
Today
Beutiful day with light winds and base level temperatures in the lower 30.s. Winds in the 5-15 mph range from the southwest. Occasional gusts of 30 mph. The storm moves in late overnight, as early as 3 am.
Tomorrow
Heavy snow and Winter Storm Warnings expected. Strong winds at base level between 35-45 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph. Ridgetop winds near 100 mph so upper mountain lifts will be closed. Temperatures will start out in the low 20’s and quickly fall to the mid-teens.
Sunday
Same as Saturday, winds and temperatures will mirror the conditions from Saturday.
Utah
Today
Snow throughout the day today with moderate winds and cold wind chills. Expect the heavy snow to last until 2-3 o’clock today, then scattered showers until evening. Temperatures will be in the low 20’s with wind chills near zero.
Saturday
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
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
