Let's get right to the main question – where to find powder during the week before Christmas?

At the start of the week, on Monday and Tuesday, December 18-19, we'll see a storm in the northwest, and northern New England will also see flakes.

During the middle of the week, on Wednesday and Thursday, December 20-21, a stronger storm will hit the northwest and will then track southeast through most of the western US. This storm will bring 3-12 inches to most mountains in the western US and Canada.

Looking ahead toward Friday and Saturday, December 22-23rd, an Arctic cold front will bring light snowfall to the Rocky Mountains.

Unfortunately, this Arctic cold front will focus its cold air on the middle part of the US, which will leave the eastern seaboard warmer with a chance of rain on December 23rd.

Once the Arctic cold front fully moves into the United States, between about December 24-28, temperatures from the Rockies through the Midwest will be 10-20F below normal with high temperatures near zero.

As we close out the month of December, most models forecast that the coldest air will ooze westward and eastward and that Canada and the northern 2/3rds of the US will remain chilly.

I do not know where snow will fall during the last ~5 days of December as this is too far in the future to have confidence in the track of a single storm. With cold air likely stretching from coast-to-coast, it's possible that many areas will see powder during the final days of 2017.

Thanks for reading and look for my next update on Sunday, December 24th.

To find powder in the meantime, keep your eye on Powderchaser Steve's recommendations in "The Chase Daily Snow", which you can find here: https://opensnow.com/dailysnow/chase

JOEL GRATZ

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