NW Open Snow Headlines

Waiting for snow

Lots of sunshine

NW Open Snow Inside Story

There is a little new snow, from the last two days (2-7”) for the ski areas which are open, but expect sunshine for the next few days

Higher pressure is building in and will produce an extended dry pattern ahead, as promised. The models have been very consistent with this outcome and clearly that is what we will see for a while. The dry spell will be region wide, from BC to Washington to Oregon. Simply put, we are stuck with a snowless pattern for the next 5/6 days.

Although we are starting off dry, sunny and cold with this pattern, gradually we will slowly warm up with more valley fog and a lot less wind – but still no snow.

The models show the blocking high, which is now diverting the storm track, will degrade in about a week. That will allow the storm track to meander into our region and the action will start to pick up again. Indications are, this will occur Dec 2-4. With that change, hopefully we will see a return to a pattern more conducive to mountain snowfall. But that is quite a ways off and beyond the reliable range of the models – so I am leaning that way, but no guarantees.

The airflow pattern at 18,000 ft resembles the Greek letter omega – this is called an omega block and tends to be very stable. The omega block is a high pressure, flanked on both sides by low pressures systems. Interesting, this omega block will evolve into the other type of block called a Rex block. Named after meteorologist Daniel Rex, the Rex block shows a high pressure north of a lower latitude low pressure. Airflow undercutting the high is usually the end game for the block. That will probably happen next week and the snow will begin to fall. A word of caution some blocks can last for long periods of time, but the models do tend to pick up the stubborn ones. This does not seem to be a blocking pattern which will last long.

Larry Schick

Meteorologist - Open Snow

NW Territory, USA