Snow Forecasts by Region:

View → Coast Range

View → Powder Highway

View → Okanagan

We're down to only a handful of ski areas that are still open, but backcountry ski season is in full swing and more snow is in the forecast along with continued below-average temperatures.

Areas that are still open daily include Whistler and Grouse Mountain, while Hudson Bay Mountain will re-open next weekend (April 23-24). Revelstoke's last day of the season is today (April 18).

Forecast for Monday - Tuesday:

A storm is getting underway across BC on Monday with heavy snow already falling across the Coast Range and light snow spreading into western portions of the Interior ranges (Monashee, Selkirks). 

This storm is arriving via southwest flow and has plenty of moisture and energy to work with along with cold air aloft for this time of year. Snow levels will not be as low as last week when we were experiencing record cold temperatures, but they will still be quite low for this time of year.

As for timing, the Coast Range will see its most widespread and heaviest snowfall during the day on Monday and on Monday night, with more scattered convectively-driven snow showers on the backside of the system on Tuesday.

The Interior will see light snow favoring western slopes of the Monashee and Selkirk Ranges during the day on Monday, followed by heavier and more widespread snowfall on Monday night and during the day on Tuesday. Instability on Tuesday will result in a chance of lightning across both the Coast Range and Interior ranges.

Snowfall will begin to decrease in coverage and intensity across most areas on Tuesday night, except around the Lizard Range where widespread snow could persist later into the night.

Snow levels across the Coast Range will range from 900-1,200 meters (3-4k feet) during the day on Monday before falling to 450-600 meters (1.5-2k feet) on Monday night and Tuesday, which is below Whistler's base area.

Snow levels across the Interior will peak at 3,500-4,500 feet on Monday afternoon before falling to 600-750 meters (2-2.5k feet) on Monday night/Tuesday morning. Snow levels will then increase to 900-1,100 meters (3-3.5k feet) on Tuesday afternoon.

Snow totals through Tuesday night will range from 20-40 cm (8-16 inches) across most of the Coast Range including Whistler and Grouse, with isolated higher amounts of 60+ cm (24+ inches) possible in the core of the Coast Range. 

Across the Interior, most areas will pick up 10-20 cm (4-8 inches) of new snow through Tuesday night with isolated higher amounts of 30+ cm (12+ inches) possible.

Across Northern BC, areas from the Northern Coast Range eastward toward the Cariboos will generally see 10-20 cm (4-8 inches) of new snow with lighter amounts further north in the Skeena Range. 

Forecast for Wednesday - Friday:

On Wednesday, we will see a lull in the action during the daytime hours with more sunshine but chilly temperatures in the wake of the previous storm. Still, the sun is strong enough at this time of year that the new snow will become sun-affected in many areas on Wednesday afternoon despite the cool temps.

The next storm will then arrive on Wednesday night with light snow spreading into Southern BC from the southwest.

The best moisture and energy from this storm will be tracking a bit further south into the U.S. so this will not be as significant of a snow event overall. However, a secondary pulse of energy in combination with an unstable atmosphere will likely result in a more notable uptick in snowfall across the Southern Powder Highway region of the Interior on Thursday afternoon/evening, including the Kootenay Pass area.

Snow levels from Wednesday night through Thursday night are projected to range from 800-1,200 meters (2.5-4k feet) across the Coast Range and 900-1,500 meters (3-5k feet) across the Interior with the highest snow levels occurring on Thursday afternoon.

Snow totals from Wednesday night through Friday morning will generally range from 2-10 cm (1-4") across the Coast Range and Northern Powder Highway (Rogers Pass) region with higher amounts of 10-20 cm (4-8") across the Southern Powder Highway (Kootenay Pass). 

On Friday, we will see an overall drying trend with more sunshine, but enough lingering moisture combined with daytime instability will result in some cloud build-ups in the afternoon along with isolated to scattered snow showers and flurries. Snow levels on Friday will be similar to Thursday.

A drying trend is expected this weekend with more sunshine and gradually warming temperatures, at least to more seasonal levels for April, as we will be in between storm systems.

Temperatures will at least warm up to above-freezing levels across the higher elevations (comparable to upper mountain elevations of ski resorts anyways) with spring skiing conditions taking hold, while strong freezes are still expected overnight. 

The next storm is likely to arrive early next week in the Monday (4/25) to Tuesday (4/26) timeframe. 

Looking further out, a relatively unsettled pattern with additional snow chances will persist through the end of April with temperatures continuing to run below average. 

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Thursday (4/21).

ALAN SMITH

SKI RESORT CLOSING DATES:

April 3rd:

Red Mountain

Whitewater

Silver Star

Apex

Mt. Baldy

Sasquatch Mountain

Manning Park

 

April 10th:

Kimberley

Big White

Sun Peaks

Cypress Mountain

Mt. Seymour

Mt. Washington

 

April 17th-18th:

Fernie (April 17)

Kicking Horse (April 17)

Panorama (April 17)

Revelstoke (April 18)

 

Later Closing Dates:

Hudson Bay Mountain (April 24)

Grouse Mountain (May 1)

Whistler (May 23)