Storm Update

Wow! That was quite the storm that rolled through. I'll admit that my expectations were low, but the storm delivered and in a very good way. The front fell apart just to our North so the Tahoe resorts did not get what they expected but we not only got what we expected, but are likely to get a little bit more throughout the day. 

Main Lodge received 12 inches of fresh snow in the last 24 hours and the summit got 13! That pushes our season total over the 300-inch mark! We only need 50 to 60 more inches of snow to achieve what's considered a perfectly average season, so we'll see how close we can keep inching to that number. 

Thursday Snow Showers

The models are still showing precip reaching our region throughout the day. We could see an additional 2 -  6 more inches throughout the day, especially with the colder temps. Winds are still very gusty over the summit so it's likely the upper mtn. might not open this morning or even this afternoon. Gusts could be over 60 MPH out of the Southwest. Bundle up if you're heading out there and enjoy that fresh pow! 

Friday - Weekend Storm 

We still have some model differences regarding precip amounts for the Friday - Weekend storm. The heaviest snow will by far be between Friday night and early Saturday morning. Snow showers look to be pretty minimal on Sunday at best, but it will remain cool. You can expect base temps to stay low to mid 20's and the upper mtn. to be in the teens over the weekend. 

Winds will not be as much of a concern for this storm. The current forecast calls for winds to be in the 40 MPH range on Friday and down into the 20 - 30 MPH range by Saturday into Sunday. They will be out of the Southwest initially and turn to the West and eventually North by late Sunday. 

In terms of precip, we're looking at a range between 1.00 and 1.60 inches. This storm should be colder so snow ratios should be closer to 13 - 15:1 instead of under 10:1 like we saw this last system. 

My snowfall forecast through Sunday is for 11 to 17 inches of snow at Main Lodge with the majority of that falling by Saturday mid-morning. The summit on the high end could see 20 inches of snow, but expect closer to 16 - 18 inches. 

I'll have one more chance to update this Friday morning as the storm starts pushing into the region. 

Next week begins dry and ends up being mild for a few days as well. Monday will be the coolest day with highs only in the low 30's. But by Wednesday we're looking at true Spring weather with upper 40's. 

The ridge looks to shift East though with another intrusion of much colder air and a couple of weak systems to come through later next week. 

The first one could be as early as next Thursday the 4th into Friday the 5th. Temps look much colder and back into the 20's at the bases over the weekend. I'll keep you posted on our storm chances as we get closer. 

Till the next one... Mike out. 

NEW: Snow Ratio Forecast

You can now get a good idea of the upcoming snow quality for the next storm via our new "Snow Ratio" forecast for any location in OpenSnow.

When we talk about snow quality, such as “light and fluffy” or “heavy and wet”, we are talking about the snow-to-liquid ratio. The higher the snow-to-liquid ratio, the lighter the snow quality, and vice-versa.

1. Go to any location screen and tap the "Snow Summary" tab.
2. Scroll down to the 5-day hourly or 10-day forecast section.
3. View the 5-day hourly or daily "Snow Ratio" forecast for the next 10 days.

10:1 will be fun but will feel a little heavy. 15:1 will offer some faceshots and feel pretty light. 20:1 will be incredibly light, almost like skiing through nothing but air.

This new feature is currently available with the latest version of the OpenSnow iOS app installed (App Store > OpenSnow > Update) or on the OpenSnow website (OpenSnow.com). It will be available in the OpenSnow Android app soon.

View → Snow Ratio Forecast