Mid-Atlantic Daily Snow

Heads up, there may be fresher snow! Read the latest Mid-Atlantic Daily Snow

By Zach Butler, Meteorologist Posted 1 year ago March 24, 2023

Rain continues, some snowflakes this weekend

Summary

Friday will see a narrow area of rain around the MD-PA border and WV. More rain will move in Saturday throughout the region with some initial snow/mixed precip in the Catskills. Warm temperatures move in by Saturday afternoon, with even some thunderstorms possible. A few snow showers are possible in NY on Sunday with minimal snow accumulations and cooler temperatures. Let’s get into the details….

Short Term Forecast

For resorts that are still open, slopes are still hanging on, but more bare batches are showing up by the day. A few more resorts are calling it quits this weekend, but several should make it through next week and into early April. Here is a look at the percent of terrain open as of Thursday. 

More rain will move through the region on Friday and Saturday. Friday will see a narrow area of rain through southern PA, MD, and WV. Rain will be steady throughout the morning, but become scattered by Friday afternoon and evening. 

The center of the storm system finally moves to the north of the region on Saturday. Some cold air could sneak into the Catskills Saturday morning and allow for a brief area of snow and mixed precipitation. Warm air moves in by noon, with a trace-1 inch of snow accumulations possible. 

Most precipitation clears by Saturday afternoon with temperatures warming and some sunshine peeking through. This could cause some thunderstorms with gusty winds through northern PA and central NY. Here is a look at the NAM model’s depiction of precipitation type and intensity from 12 pm Friday, March 24th through 10 pm Saturday, March 25th.

A weak cold front will move through Saturday evening and cause a few scattered snow showers to develop in New York and Pennsylvania on Sunday. Minimal snow accumulations are likely and it will be a cool but partly sunny day otherwise. Here is a look at potential snow accumulations from Friday through Sunday. 

A weak disturbance could affect the region early next week on Monday, March 27th, and Tuesday, March 28th. Model uncertainty regarding storm intensity and precipitation development makes the forecast uncertain. A few snow showers could sneak through NY, otherwise, only light rain showers are expected right now. 

Extended Forecast

The rest of next week will continue to see active weather in the way of weak storm systems with chances of rain. The storm system with a potential southerly storm track that I mentioned in Wednesday's Daily Snow will not develop. There continue to be no strong signals from various models for a consistent weather pattern at the end of March and early April. 

This means mostly chances of rain for the region, with some wet snowflakes possible to the north. Here is a look at the GFS model’s predicted upper-level pattern from Wednesday, March 29th to Saturday, April 1st. 

The cool colors show cooler temperatures and favorable conditions for precipitation. The warm colors show warmer temperatures and drier weather, which could move into the start of April. 

The ski days are becoming numbered so get those turns in while you can. Thanks for reading and I will have the next update Sunday. 

Zach Butler, Meteorologist for the Mid-Atlantic Daily Snow.

Announcements

Here are some resorts where I’ve been able to keep track of projected closing dates and which ones are still open with no closing date information yet. 

Project Closing Dates:

March 26th - Wisp, MD. Elk Mountain, PA. Sawmill, PA. Shawnee, PA
March 27th - Timberline, WV (subject to change)
April 2nd - Snowshoe, WV. Windham, NY. 
April 9th - Holiday Valley, NY. 

Resorts that are still open with no closing date announcement yet:

NJ: Mountain creek

NY: Belleayre, Bristol, Buffalo Ski Club, Greek Peak, HoliMont, Hunter, Kissing Bridge, Labrador,  Peek’n Peak, Song, Swain

PA: JackFrost/BigBoulder, Blue Mountain, Camelback, Montage Mountain, Seven Springs

 

About Our Forecaster

Zach Butler

Meteorologist

Zach Butler is currently a PhD student in Water Resources Science at Oregon State University. He just finished his master's in Applied Meteorology at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. Originally from Maryland, he has grown up hiking and skiing up and down the East Coast. When not doing coursework, he enjoys cooking and exploring the pacific northwest on his bike.

Free OpenSnow App