Summary
Lookout Pass and Silver Mountain are re-opening this weekend for skiers/riders to get their last turns of the season with lift-served access. Saturday will feature a mix of clouds, sunshine, and a chance of thundershowers with a high of 40-42 degrees. Low temp Saturday night of 30. Sunday will be a spring-like sunny day with a high of 50 degrees. Enjoy!
Short Term Forecast
There's still plenty of snowpack at Lookout and Silver for the last weekend of operations in winter 2021-22! (photo courtesy Lookout Pass). Lookout snow base ranges from 47" at the base area to 67" at the summit. Silver reports bases of 84" at the lodge and gondola station, and 92" at the summit.
Lookout will be operating the Peak 1 quad this weekend from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; all other lifts will be closed. Silver will be running Chairs 1-4 from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Chair 4 will be closed temporarily from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. to get the Leadman Triathlon under way. Both ski areas will be open on Saturday and Sunday.
(Photo courtesy Silver Mountain)
While the National Weather Service is predicting a 40 percent chance of rain/snow mix on Saturday, looking deeper into the details on OpenSnow.com, any chance of precipitation looks fleeting and more in the form of squalls or thunderstorms that won't last long. So it looks like one of those days where you could experience a wide range of mountain weather conditions in a matter of minutes!
Sunday looks pretty darn nice all around with a high of 50 degrees after the snowpack freezes overnight. Skiing/riding conditions should be great as things soften up in the late morning/afternoon on Sunday.
Extended Forecast
Cool weather and plenty of snowfall in April has been great for Idaho's mountain snowpack statewide, and especially in N. Idaho, where snowpack levels are now around 100% of average or close to that as we move toward warmer weather in May and the melt-off season. See map below.
Rising snowpack levels in April will benefit everything from soil moisture to lake levels to fishing and whitewater rafting conditions statewide.
Here's a West-wide view of our snowpack situation courtesy of NRCS:
Announcements
Look for discounted lift tickets on the final weekend of the season at Lookout and Silver Mountain. Plus, they're still selling season passes for next year.
If you're wondering about snowpack/water levels for rafting on the Lochsa, Salmon River, Middle Fork Salmon River, etc., this summer, check out a post I wrote for the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association this week.
https://ioga.org/2022/04/16/idaho-rafting-jet-boat-season-looks-promising-in-summer-2022/
This will be my final post of the 2021-22 winter season. I personally felt like it was a super fun season, all things considered!
Thanks for reading and following OpenSnow.com!
- STEVE STUEBNER
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