Forecast for Western Washington:

Snow totals so far on Friday AM include 4 inches at Mt. Baker, 2 inches at Crystal, and 1 inch at White Pass. Stevens and Snoqualmie Passes have not issued snow reports yet.

Lingering snow will gradually taper off from north to south from Friday morning through early afternoon with additional amounts ranging from 1-3 inches from Stevens to White Pass and an inch or less for Baker. Mission Ridge will stay dry with a strong shadowing effect on the east side of the Cascades.

Highs on Friday will range from the upper 20s to low 30s with moderate northwest winds. 

On Saturday, an arctic cold front will work its way from northeast to southwest across Washington, backing its way up against the east side of the Cascades with northeast winds behind the front. 

Mission Ridge should be the most favored resort in this pattern (despite what the map indicates below) with snow totals ranging from 2-6 inches.

I think most other areas from Stevens Pass to White Pass will end up with 1-4 inches, with uncertainty stemming from how much moisture makes it up the eastern slopes and into these areas. Further north, Baker will likely miss out on this round entirely.

Snow levels on Saturday will start out 1,000-2,000 feet before quickly falling behind the cold front, lowering to near sea level by the time snow tapers off.

The duration of snowfall will be relatively quick, beginning around Stevens, Snoqualmie, and Mission Ridge on Saturday morning and tapering off at White Pass by late Saturday afternoon. 

Forecast for Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho:

We're already seeing some nice snow totals out there. Early morning snow reports on Friday AM include 7 inches at Silver Mtn, 5 inches at Lookout Pass, and 2 inches apiece at Schweitzer, 49 North, Mt. Spokane, and Bluewood.

Snow will continue throughout the day on Friday with snow showers lingering on Friday night as well. The northwest flow will favor Southeast Washington and also the Central Idaho Panhandle, especially near the Montana border. Winds will also be gusty out of the northwest throughout the day.

Snow totals from Friday AM to Saturday AM will range from 6-12 inches at Lookout Pass and Bluewood, 3-8 inches at Silver, and 1-3 inches at Schweitzer, 49 North, and Mt. Spokane.

On Saturday, an arctic cold front will work its way from north to south across the Inland Northwest with winds turning to northeast and remaining gusty. The winds combined with the falling temperatures will make for a cold day on the slopes.

A quick band of snow is likely with this frontal passage, but it's looking pretty minimal for most ski areas with a quick dusting for most areas. Lookout Pass and Bluewood might be able to pick up an inch or two.

Forecast for Oregon:

Snow reports on Friday morning include 3 inches at Timberline, 2 inches at Hood Skibowl, and 1 inch at Hood Meadows. 

Snow will fall across Northern Oregon throughout the day on Friday with the heaviest snow expected across the Blue and Wallowa Mountains in Northeast Oregon. Snow will continue into Friday evening before tapering off later in the night. 

Snow levels will range from 3,000-4,000 feet for the duration of this event. Winds will also be strong out of the northwest on Friday morning before gradually decreasing as the day progresses.

Snow totals from Friday AM to Saturday AM will range from 2-5 inches at the Hood resorts, 1-3 inches at Hoodoo, and 6-12 inches at Anthony Lakes and other favored areas in the Blue and Wallowa Ranges. Further south, Bachelor and Willamette will only see dusting amounts at best.

On Saturday, an arctic cold front will work its way from northeast to southwest across Oregon from about midday through late evening, backing its way up against the east side of the Cascades with northeast winds behind the front. 

Most ski resorts across Oregon will pick up 2-6 inches of low-density snow from Saturday afternoon through Saturday night, except for Mt. Ashland and Warner Canyon who will see only dusting amounts at best.

Snow levels on Saturday will start out 1,500-2,500 feet before quickly falling behind the cold front, lowering to near sea level by the time snow tapers off.

The duration of snowfall will be relatively quick, beginning around the Hood resorts and Blue Mountains in Northern Oregon late Saturday morning and tapering off at Willamette Pass by late Saturday evening/overnight. 

Cold and dry conditions will prevail throughout the region on Sunday behind the arctic front, with afternoon highs in the upper single digits to low/mid teens across the Cascades and close to zero across the Inland Northwest.

The dry pattern will continue through about Wednesday (Feb 1) with a warming trend also occurring, though temps will remain below freezing. Some models are hinting at a weak disturbance clipping the North WA Cascades on Jan 30-31 but confidence is low.

The next storm is projected to arrive around Feb 2nd-3rd. After that, models are in poor agreement on what happens over the weekend of Feb 4th-5th, with model solutions ranging from mild and wet (with high snow levels) to mild and dry to cool and snowy (with low snow levels). In other words, I have no idea what's going to happen.

Heading into the week of February 6th, there is relative agreement among longer-range models that we will head back into a more active pattern with below-average tempreatures. But of course, there is an inherent degree of uncertainty in the 10+ day range and long-range models have struggled with consistency in recent days, so we'll see.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Sunday (Jan 29).

ALAN SMITH