Good morning everyone, yesterday had good conditions for this time of year for most resorts. Frigid temperatures and howling winds were the theme for the slopes. Fortunately the winds are going to subside today, but temperatures at the resorts won’t crack above freezing. It’s going to be wise to pack an extra layer if you’re heading up, and if you’re on the fence about heading out today; I’d highly recommend you try and make it out there. This might be one of the last days of the season with good conditions for your local resort. After today, we’re going to have a couple rain showers pummel the region, bringing icy conditions to the slopes. This will continue to be the norm as well as we move deeper into spring; so get out there and enjoy it while you can everyone! Here is the current webcam from Cannon:

Friday looks to bring clear skies and warmer temperatures to the region, but in the afternoon is the start of a long system hitting the area. In the beginning this storm is going to bring snow to the region; and it actually looks to bring a couple inches to the slopes. If you’re on the slopes in the mid-afternoon, expect accumulations around 1-3 inches. Friday evening however expect that snow to flip over to rain, and if you’re in the northern parts of VT, NH, and ME expect a wintry mix of sleet and rain. This rain will hurt the newly dropped snowpack, but isn’t expected to last as long as previously forecasted. Expect extreme icing conditions on the slopes though following this storm. Here is the current model run for the start of the storm:

The storm will subside Saturday morning, but expect a few scattered rain showers to linger in the region. Saturday afternoon we’ll see an increase in those scattered rain showers on the western part of the region. These showers will persist overnight, and begin to strengthen into a larger system that will bring another round of wintry mix to all the resorts across the region Sunday morning and into Monday afternoon. This storm is going to be a strange one, and really bring mixed totals for the region. If your local resort is located north of the White mountains, then expect more snow and sleet than rain. If your favorite spot is south of that, expect more rain and sleet than snow. Overall, this is going to increase icing conditions for the slopes rather than help them. The slopes will see some rain, and with temperatures dipping below freezing overnight, a layer of ice will develop on the slopes. If I had to suggest a day to head out this weekend, I’d suggest Saturday over Sunday. Sunday looks to bring more rain to the region, while Saturday will have pockets of clear skies. Conditions are going to decrease following this weekend, so try and get out there while you can!

Monday will continue to bring rain and sleet to the region. Expect VT and NH to receive mostly rain, while Maine will receive mostly snow. If you’re looking for the resort with the best conditions following this entire storm, head to Sunday River. Conditions are going to be fair to good, seeing as how they’ll receive mostly snow from this system. Expect accumulations around 2-4 inches. Here is the model track for the whole storm after Friday:

That's all we have today! Check back tomorrow for details on this weekend's mess. Have fun out there everyone.

Christopher Hohman, Plymouth State University Undergraduate