Forecast for Monday to Wednesday:

A weak storm will slide into Eastern BC from the northwest on Monday night and Tuesday, resulting in a round of light and low-density snow.

Across Northern BC, Powder King looks like it will be on the fringe with only dusting-level accumulations expected at best. Further south, the pattern looks a bit more favorable across East Central BC, especially over the Northern Powder Highway Region around Revelstoke and Rogers Pass.

As far as ski resorts go, I think Revelstoke will be the winner of this storm with 5-15 cm (2-6") of new snow from Monday night through Tuesday morning with lesser amounts heading southward and westward. The snow that does fall will be low-density and snow levels will be on valley bottoms with cold air in place.

Here is my snowfall outlook for the Interior:

And here is a graphical projection from the high-res Canadian Model. This model assumes a 10:1 snow-liquid ratio, but in reality, ratios will be closer to 15:1.

A little bit of moisture will reach the eastern side of the Coast Range as well on Tuesday. Therefore, we could see light accumulations on the order of 2-8 cm (1-3") for Manning Park, Coquihalla Pass, and Sasquatch Mountain. Whistler and the North Shore Mountains should stay dry, other than perhaps some stray flurries.

On Wednesday, conditions should begin to dry out briefly across all of Southern BC while a disturbance moving across the north could bring some light snow showers from Shames Mountain to Powder King.

Forecast for Wednesday Night to Thursday:

A strong storm with southwest winds will reach the Coast Range of Southwest BC on Wednesday night and Thursday with heavy snow likely at Whistler and across the North Shore Mountains. Snow levels will be low during this storm, ranging from 150-300 meters (500-1,000 feet) around Whistler and 300-600 meters (1,000-2,000 feet) around the Vancouver North Shore.

Late Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon looks like the prime window for snow across the Coast Range. Therefore, Thursday afternoon will offer the deepest conditions, while Friday morning may offer the best combination of fresh (deep) snow, lighter winds and improved visibility.

Across the Interior, confidence is relatively low on how this storm will play out as recent model trends are taking the storm further south as it heads inland with the best moisture/energy tracking south of the U.S. border. However, some snow accumulations are still likely at the very least with southwest flow favoring Revelstoke and Whitewater. 

Northern BC will finally see a good round of snow from this storm as well. The heaviest snow for Shames Mountain, Hudson Bay Mountain, and the Skeena Range will be from Wednesday morning through Wednesday night, while Powder King and the Northern Rockies/Cariboos should see most of their snow from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday night.

Another storm is likely to impact BC in the Friday (Dec 8) to Saturday (Dec 9) timeframe, though confidence is low regarding the timing and storm track. Southwest BC looks to be the most favored with lower confidence elsewhere. Snow levels will remain low with this storm (similar if not lower than the last one).

An active pattern is likely to continue during the week of Sunday (Dec 11) to Sunday (Dec 18) with new storms arriving every 1-2 days or so. Temperatures are also expected to remain on the cooler side of average, which should keep snow levels low for the most part. 

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Wednesday (Dec 7).

ALAN SMITH