Northwest Daily Snow
By Larry Schick, Forecaster Posted 7 years ago October 28, 2016
More new snow - upper elevations, La Nina update
For the next week, the weather maps show light to modest precipitation, with a few dry periods thrown in. The airflow shows splitting circulation, which will disperse the storm energy -- as a result timing is difficult, with no direct hits as storms brush us. When we do get precipitation, the snow levels will run a bit lower than they have been. Expect snow levels in the 4500-5500ft range. That means more great news, with continued snow accumulation on the medium and upper slopes – and it’s still October.
With the snowfall of October on the upper slopes, we have a good start. The extended forecast into mid to early November starts is hinting at more robust storminess. I am becoming more confident of an early start of the season – especially for Whistler.
We have moved into weak La Nina territory, but it really doesn’t change the seasonal forecast. Nudging toward La Nina does give us more assurance, the Cascade outlook of abundant snowfall this winter will materialize. As a result, confidence is good we will see many powder days ahead.
Look closely at the graph below, the blue area to the right plunges from the heights of El Nino last year to weak La Nina right now. Our snowiest winters are in the La Nina phase.
Larry Schick
Open Snow NW