Chase Powder Daily Snow
By Powderchaser Steve, Forecaster Posted 7 years ago January 21, 2017
Quick Update from the chase crew- Tetons added to the Powder alerts
Update
Quick update: The chase team is still in the Sierra with another deep day at many areas. Kirkwood is at 31 inches in the past 48 hours with another 11 last night.
Here are some snow totals from the past 2 days.
Mammoth: 38
Squaw: 28
Mount Rose: 32
Arizona Snowbowl 21 inches (24 hour total).
Snow is falling moderately in the Sierra this evening and will decrease to snow showers for most areas overnight (5-10). Light snow will continue Saturday where mountains may have a window for opening up terrain that was closed today. Chase points can include nearly every resorts in the Sierra for Saturday morning (New terrain openings). Heavy snow will fill back in late Saturday night into Monday. 2-4 feet likely in most areas with 4-7 feet additional over Mammoth.
The Update for the Rockies is to increase snowfall totals in some spots of the 4 corners tonight through Saturday. Arizona snowbowl could get an additional 12-18 inches by Saturday afternoon. Other good chase points would include Wolf Creek, Silverton, Crested Butte, Purgatory, and perhaps Telluride for Saturday storm ski. There should be a wide area of 9-15 inches in these areas. Winds in Colorado shift from the SW to West which will push moisture further north towards the central mountains (Monarch, Crested Butte Aspen) and to a slightly lesser extent I-70 (Beaver Creek does well with Westerly flow) , and Steamboat. It's hard to nail down amounts here but my guess is the further west resorts grab 3-9 inches (Breckenridge can sneak in deeper amounts on westerly flow so it's are wildcard pick) and the central mountains listed above grab 5-11.
Update: The Tetons popped up on our radar tonight for heavier snow than what we originally forecasted. Expect light snow Saturday/Sunday turning heavy into Monday morning (9-12).
Announcements
Enjoy the powder everyone! Chase wisely! Choose resorts that are more likely to open terrain based on winds, snowfall intensity and avalanche danger. It's always a gamble at some resorts but then again chasing powder is a mix of skill, experience and pure luck. I use snowtel sites (automated data) and pay close attention to hourly snowfall, winds, wind direction, and radars.
See you on the chase!
Powderchaser Steve
About Our Forecaster
Powderchaser Steve
Forecaster
Powderchaser Steve has over 45 years of experience chasing storms based on his weather and local knowledge of resorts on both the East and West Coasts. His snow intel will likely land him at the deepest resort and almost never missing "First Chair" in the process. Follow "The Chase" on OpenSnow to find out where the deepest snow may be falling.
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