Chase Powder Daily Snow

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By Powderchaser Steve, Forecaster Posted 5 years ago January 19, 2019

BLOWER ALERT! New England grabs deep freshies Sunday! The Sierra and northern Rockies grab another storm Monday

Summary

Today was a mixed bag depending on where you ended up. Snowbird was Deep with limited terrain open (Patrol tried but pulled the plug early). I heard Alta popped most terrain, and rumor has it that the Sierra was so warm it turned the fresh powder to cake (Unverified). With high avalanche danger at some of the Mega addictive resorts known for the most powder, you may have done better venturing to the less deep ones today in Utah. Reports from a trusty friend at Vail say that the NW flow kicked in fast and furious at Vail today with snow cameras showing a rapid freshening of 6-9 inches! "Epic" was the word used with no lift lines. So, in a nutshell, the last 3-4 days have been a frenzy of excitement, disappointments and tons of anticipation. Warm temps this winter (It's been noticeable) have been an issue, especially in the PNW and Sierra. The next 3 days promises to deliver very deep blower to New England and another good storm for the Rockies.

Short Term Forecast

Light snow is continuing along I-70 in Colorado early this evening that should taper by 9 PM.  If you're up to the mountains early on Saturday, leftover deep pow and some light freshness since the lifts closed may make a great morning to enjoy the slopes.  I'm not going to get into specific resorts on this post due to most snow falling on Friday (Previous forecast).  

Below:  Vail Colorado- Friday.  Skier:  Kaitlyn Merriman

The headlines for this weekend are for New England!  Light snow will be falling Saturday night over much of western MA and portions of eastern NY.  Moderate snow kicks into the Berkshires and most of south-central Vermont and New Hampshire by daybreak (3-6 inches). Heavy snow will be falling during the morning hours (2 plus inches per hour) adding up to 11-18 inches by early afternoon.  Significant snowfall is likely for most of New England by late Sunday night.  The heaviest amounts are likely in central and southern New England (Stratton, Okemo, Killington, Bromley, Berkshires, I-89 Corridor, Conway - central Maine). Some resorts will be reporting an excess of 20 inches of Blower by late Sunday (Chase central or south).  Resorts further north may see slightly lower amounts (11-15) but the spread is close.  NW winds behind the front Sunday afternoon will enhance snowfall Sunday afternoon in northern Vermont (Jay Peak, Stowe, Sugarbush) so its possible they get close to the totals to the south. Snow will intensify late AM through late PM Sunday in northern Maine (Sugarloaf), pushing into eastern Quebec and NE Canada for deep powder on Monday.  The storm is fast moving, so all areas of New England will see very heavy snowfall by mid-morning Sunday (Earlier to the west).   The Good: You can't go wrong with nearly any resort you pick for Sunday late AM and PM. Cold air with great quality.  The Bad: Some winds Sunday may impact higher terrain lifts (30MPH gusts).  I don't think it's a deal breaker but choose wisely on resorts that may be impacted to a higher degree on winds. 

Below: Total snowfall for New England through Sunday night. Lots of double digits! Ratios may push these numbers higher but it's a quick hitter. 

The Cascades and BC look wet in the next 24 hours.  Easterly winds will keep some cold air in place in the mountains of Washington through Saturday morning (5-11 inches, with higher amounts at Mt Baker).  Warming kicks temps up Saturday just after daybreak, so quality will likely decrease during the day.  Baker may stay cooler and slightly deeper.  Stevens Pass will be cooler than Crystal as warmer air filters south into Oregon.  BC stands a good hit of 4-9 inches for Whistler (Cooler) as well as some spots in the interior. Saturday early may offer the best turns. 

Extended Forecast

There is a decent storm on the horizon for the Rockies and Sierra.  Snow will be falling on Sunday in the Sierra (3-7) that pushes a cold front into Tahoe late Sunday to Monday (Additional 3-7).   Cooling will lower snow levels to the bases by Monday morning with an MLK powder day for most of the Sierra Range. Total snowfall will exceed 12 inches favoring the northern mountains. Ride late Sunday or early Monday. 

Below: Total Sierra snow through Monday. North is slightly favored but that can change as we get closer. 

Other spots to chase next week will include central Idaho extending south into the northern Sawtooth range (Sun Valley may score again- Wildcard).  The southern Panhandle, Central Idaho, and perhaps Montana near Missoula could score some decent snowfall.  The Tetons grab decent snow (Moderate or heavy) late Sunday/Monday.  The Wasatch will land double digits by midday Monday (Mix of overnight and day snow).  Leftovers head into Colorado favoring the northern and central mountains PM Monday into Tuesday. You may be able to chase from Wyoming or Utah to Colorado and catch the same storm twice (Full bonus).  

Below: Total snowfall through Monday PM in Utah and Wyoming. Colorado only showing northern areas on this map with more detail on a future post.  

Enjoy the powder everyone!  

Powderchaser Steve 

About Our Forecaster

Powderchaser Steve

Forecaster

Powderchaser Steve has over 45 years of experience chasing storms based on his weather and local knowledge of resorts on both the East and West Coasts. His snow intel will likely land him at the deepest resort and almost never missing "First Chair" in the process. Follow "The Chase" on OpenSnow to find out where the deepest snow may be falling.

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