Before we dive into the forecast, check out this stunning photo taken from the air yesterday by OpenSnow Meteorologist Zach Butler. The photo was taken from Northern Oregon as the plane passed by Mt. Hood. Further out in the distance, Cascades volcanoes Mt. Saint Helens, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Adams can also be seen from left to right. 

Forecast for Western Washington:

Wednesday's storm favored northern areas with Baker and Alpental both picking up over a foot.

Here are storm snowfall totals from Wed AM to Thu AM:

• 14" - Mt. Baker
• 13" - Alpental
• 9" - Snoqualmie West
• 7" - Stevens Pass
• 5" - Crystal Mountain
• 3" - White Pass
• 2" - Mission Ridge

Dry and sunny conditions will prevail on Friday with highs topping out around freezing at mid-mountain elevations.

The next storm will arrive on Saturday with a cold front approaching at the leading edge. Snow will begin on Saturday afternoon and continue through Saturday evening with heavy snowfall rates expected at times. This will be a relatively short duration but relatively intense event.

Snow levels will be below 2,000 feet throughout this event, and could even dip below 1,000 feet before snow tapers off later Saturday night.

Winds will also be strong during the daytime hours on Saturday, out of the south/southwest initially before veering to west/northwest late Saturday behind the cold front.

I'm expecting a similar distribution of snowfall totals compared to the last storm with 6-12 inches for Baker, Stevens, and Alpental/Snoqualmie, with lighter amounts of 3-6 inches for Crystal and White Pass (Paradise should see slightly higher totals). Elsewhere, Hurricane Ridge will pick up 1-3 inches and Mission Ridge 0-2 inches.

Given the relatively late start to the snowfall on Saturday along with the strong winds expected, I would target Sunday morning for the best conditions. Winds will still be brisk on Sunday but not as strong as Saturday. High temps on Sunday will be in the low 20s so the snow conditions should remain fresh throughout the day.

A mix of clouds and sun along with occasional flurries are possible on Sunday, but little if any additional accumulations are expected. 

Forecast for Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho:

Wednesday's storm favored northern areas with 49º North and Schweitzer scoring the deepest totals.

Here are storm snowfall totals from Wed AM to Thu AM:

• 10" - 49º North
• 8" - Schweitzer
• 6" - Mt. Spokane
• 4" - Silver Mountain
• 4" - Bluewood
• 2" - Lookout Pass

Dry and sunny conditions will prevail on Friday with highs topping out in the low to mid 20s at mid-mountain elevations.

The next storm will arrive on Saturday night with a cold front approaching at the leading edge. We should stay dry through most of the daytime period though snow could potentially begin late in the day.

Most of the action will happen during the overnight hours on Saturday night, followed by some lingering snow showers on Sunday morning, mainly along and south of I-90.

This will be a relatively short duration event with snow totals ranging from 3-6 inches at Silver, Lookout, and Bluewood, 2-4 inches at Schweitzer, and 1-3 inches at 49º North and Mt. Spokane. Winds will be gusty and will start out from the west/southwest before veering to west/northwest behind the cold front.

Sunday morning will be the best time to get out and catch some freshies. We will see a drying trend by Sunday afternoon with partial clearing possible. Highs will only be in the teens on Sunday afternoon.

Forecast for Oregon:

Wednesday's storm favored Washington more than Oregon, but some areas still managed to pick up decent totals – especially further south where a piece of energy "split" apart from the northern storm that favored Washington.

Here are storm snowfall totals from Wed AM to Thu AM:

• 6" - Willamette Pass
• 6" - Mt. Ashland
• 6" - Anthony Lakes
• 4" - Hoodoo
• 4" - Mt. Hood Skibowl
• 3" - Mt. Hood Meadows
• 3" - Timberline
• 2" - Mt. Bachelor

Dry and sunny conditions will prevail on Friday with highs topping out in the upper 20s to low 30s in the Cascades and low 20s in the Blues.

The next storm will arrive on Saturday with a cold front approaching at the leading edge. This storm will primarily impact Northern Oregon with little to no snow expected from Bachelor south.

Snow will begin on Saturday afternoon and continue through Saturday evening before tapering off by Sunday morning. Snow levels will start out at 2,500-3,000 feet across Northern Oregon on Saturday afternoon before falling as low as 1,000 feet on Saturday night.

Winds will also be strong across the Cascades on Saturday afternoon and Saturday night, starting out blowing from the west/southwest before veering to west/northwest behind the cold front on Saturday evening.

I'm expecting a light event overall with snow totals ranging from 2-4 inches at the Hood resorts, Hoodoo, and across the Blue Mountains. Mt. Bachelor might be able to squeeze out a dusting to an inch or two but it will be a close call. Little to no snow is expected south of Bachelor. 

On Sunday, lingering flurries will be possible in the morning with a drying trend by the afternoon. Winds will remain moderate to strong out of the northwest with highs in the low 20s across the Cascades and low teens across the Blues. In other words, it will be a chilly day on the slopes, especially when factoring in the wind.

Outlook for January 23rd-31st:

Next week's pattern is looking pretty dry as a ridge of high pressure sets up along the West Coast. We will need to keep an eye out for occasional weak disturbances passing along the northern periphery of the ridge in British Columbia that could dip far enough south to bring light snow to Northern Washington and the Inland Northwest

The first such disturbances are possible on Monday (Jan 23) and Tuesday (Jan 24), but models are in poor agreement on whether or not snow extends south of the Canadian border into Washington and Idaho. If we do get any snow, it will likely be light and will favor areas along and north of I-90. Oregon will likely stay dry.

Heading into the middle of the week, we will likely see dry and sunny conditions take hold throughout the PNW on Wednesday (Jan 25) and Thursday (Jan 26). A significant warming trend is also likely across the Cascades with highs rising well above freezing both days. The Inland Northwest will remain locked in a colder pattern, however, with highs in the 20s.

Colder air is expected to sneak back in from Friday (Jan 27) through the end of January, and we'll also need to keep an eye out for occasional weak disturbances during this time. 

Outlook for Early February:

Longer range models continue to be in general agreement that high pressure will shift further west away from the West Coast, allowing a trough of low pressure to become the dominant pattern across the Western U.S.

This could potentially open the door to stronger and more frequent storms with temperatures remaining cold enough for snow levels to stay low. We're still more than 10 days away, though, meaning we are still in "wait and see" mode regarding this potential pattern change.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Sunday PM (Jan 22).

ALAN SMITH