Forecast for Western Washington:

Snow has returned to the area this weekend following about a week of dry weather.

Here are the latest snow totals over the past 48 hours ending Sunday AM:

• 11" - Mt. Baker
• 9" - Alpental
• 8" - White Pass
• 7" - Crystal Mountain
• 5" - Stevens Pass
• 4" - Mission Ridge
• 3" - Snoqualmie West

A storm moving across the PNW on Sunday will result in additional snow showers during the daytime and overnight hours, favoring the southern half of Washington, with deeper totals expected south of the border in Oregon.

Snow levels will range from 3,000-4,000 feet during the day on Sunday, resulting in a rain/snow mix at the base areas of some resorts while snow quality will also be on the denser side. On Sunday night, snow levels will fall to 2,500-3,000 feet.

For snow totals from Sunday morning through Monday morning, I'll go with 2-6 inches for Crystal, White Pass, and Paradise, and 1-3 inches for Snoqualmie/Alpental, Stevens Pass, and Mt. Baker. Minimal snowfall is expected at Mission Ridge and Hurricane Ridge.

On Monday, a strong storm will impact BC while a significant plume of moisture will extend into the Northern Cascades with heavy snow expected, especially at Mt. Baker. Stevens and Snoqualmie Passes could do ok as well with lighter and more intermittent totals further south. Gusty west winds can also be expected throughout the Cascades on Monday.

Snow levels at Mt. Baker will range from 2,500-3,500 feet on Monday and Monday night, while areas further south from Stevens to White Pass will be in the 3,000-4,000 foot range.

Snow totals from Monday morning through Tuesday morning will range from 6-12 inches at Mt. Baker, 3-6 inches at Stevens Pass and Alpental, and a trace to 3 inches at Crystal and White Pass. Hurricane Ridge will pick up 2-4 inches, while Mission Ridge will see little to no snow on the eastern side of the Cascades.

On Tuesday, a strong storm will drop into Washington from the northwest, resulting in more widespread and heavier snowfall during the daytime and overnight hours. A cold front will also arrive around midday with snow levels dropping during the afternoon hours. Strong west/southwest winds can also be expected on Tuesday afternoon as the front moves through. 

The heaviest snow is likely during the midday to afternoon hours as the front moves. An unstable onshore flow can be expected on Tuesday night, with post-frontal moderate to heavy snow showers developing during the overnight hours. A Puget Sound convergence zone could also develop, leading to locally heavier snowfall rates around Snoqualmie and Stevens Passes.

Snow levels will peak at around 2,500-3,000 feet at Baker and 3,500-4,000 feet from Stevens to White Pass on Tuesday ahead of the cold front, then will lower to 2,000-3,000 feet behind the front on Tuesday afternoon.

Snow levels will then drop to around 1,000 feet on Tuesday night and snow quality will also become lower-density and more powdery compared to prior days.

As for snow totals, I'm expecting most areas from Baker to White Pass to pick up 8-16 inches of new snow from Tuesday AM to Wednesday AM, but I also wouldn't rule out isolated higher amounts around Stevens and Snoqualmie Passes (including Alpental) if a locally heavy band of snow associated with a Puget Sound Convergence Zone sets up.

Outside of the core of the Cascade Range, Mission Ridge will see very little snow as they will be in the shadow of the Cascades with west/southwest winds expected. The Olympics will see heavy snow from this storm, with Hurricane Ridge picking up 5-10 inches on the northern end of the range. 

On Wednesday, an unsettled pattern will continue with lingering snow showers on the backside of the storm with a few more inches of snow possible.

Wednesday will be THE day to get out and enjoy a deep powder day once snow has had a chance to really stack up, while snow quality will also have improved following the cold frontal passage. Winds will also be lighter on Wednesday compared to Monday and Tuesday.

Forecast for Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho:

Snow has returned to the area this weekend following about a week of dry weather.

Here are the latest snow totals over the past 48 hours ending Sunday AM:

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

A storm moving across the PNW on Sunday will result in additional snow showers during the daytime and evening hours, favoring the southern Inland Northwest along and south of I-90. Bluewood will see heavier snow on Sunday compared to the rest of the INW.

Snow levels will range from 3,000-4,000 feet during the day on Sunday across Eastern Washington and also Schweitzer, while Silver and Lookout will see snow levels in the 3,500-4,500 foot range. As a result, snow quality will be on the denser side.

Snow levels will lower a bit to 2,500-3,500 feet at all areas on Sunday night with snow showers activity in the evening tapering off to flurries after midnight. 

For snow totals from Sunday morning through Monday morning, I'll go with 7-14 inches at Bluewood, 3-6 inches at Silver and Lookout, 2-4 inches at Mt. Spokane, and a trace to 2 inches at 49º North and Schweitzer.

On Monday, a strong storm will impact BC while the southern extent of the moisture will extend into the Northern Idaho Panhandle. I'm expecting Schweitzer to pick up 2-4 inches of new snow Monday-Monday night on the southern fringe of this system, while snow showers further south in the Idaho Panhandle will result in another 1-2 inches at Silver and Lookout.

Snow levels will range from 2,500-3,500 feet at Schweitzer, Silver, and Lookout with peak snow levels actually occurring during the evening hours. Gusty west/southwest winds can also be expected on Monday afternoon and evening.

On Tuesday, a strong storm will arrive from the west/northwest, resulting in moderate to heavy snow during the afternoon and overnight hours.

A cold front will also arrive during the evening, resulting in strong winds, enhanced snowfall rates, and falling snow levels behind the front.

Snow levels will peak at 3,000-4,000 feet for most areas on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the cold front, while Bluewood could see peak snow levels as high as 4,500 feet (near the base of the ski area). Snow levels will then plummet to valley bottoms behind the cold front on Tuesday night and snow quality will also improve, becoming lower-density compared to prior days.

As for snow totals, I will go with 6-12 inches for Schweitzer, Silver, and Lookout from Tuesday through Wednesday AM, and 3-8 inches for 49º North, Mt. Spokane, and Bluewood.

On Wednesday, lingering moisture along with an unstable atmosphere will result in backside snow showers with a few more inches of snow likely for most sski areas, perhaps with even locally heavier amounts. 

Wednesday will be THE day to get out and enjoy a powder day once snow has had a chance to stack up, while snow quality will also have improved following the cold frontal passage. Winds will remain gusty on Wednesday morning before decreasing in the afternoon.

Forecast for Oregon:

Snow has returned to the area this weekend following about a week of dry weather.

Here are the latest snow totals over the past 48 hours ending Sunday AM:

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

A storm will continue to impact Oregon on Sunday with moderate to heavy snowfall rates during the daytime and evening hours before tapering off later Sunday night. Gusty west winds can also be expected across the higher terrain. 

Snow levels will generally range from 2,500-3,500 feet with peak snow levels occurring on Sunday afternoon before gradually lowering on Sunday evening. 

Additional snow totals from Sunday morning through Monday morning will range from 4-12 inches throughout the Cascades from Hood to Bachelor to Willamette Pass while Mt. Ashland will pick up around 3-6 inches. Across Northeast Oregon, the Blues and Wallowas including Anthony Lakes will also pick up 4-12 inches of new snow.

On Monday, a relative lull in the pattern is expected aside from occasional lingering flurries across the Cascades from Hood to Bachelor. Minimal if any additional accumulations will be expected. However, skiing conditions will remain good after Sunday-Sunday night's snowfall.

Highs on Monday will be in the mid to upper 20s at mid-mountain elevations with brisk northwest winds expected, though not as strong compared to Sunday.

On Tuesday, a storm will drop into Washington from the northwest with a cold front at the leading edge, resulting in moderate to heavy snowfall on Tuesday afternoon and evening, giving way to additional backside snow showers late Tuesday night (with locally heavy snowfall rates possible).

Strong west/southwest winds can also be expected on Tuesday afternoon and evening as the front moves through. 

Snow levels will peak at 4,000-4,500 feet at Mt. Hood and Hoodoo at the leading edge of the storm on Tuesday afternoon, and 4,500-5,500 feet from Bachelor to Willamette Pass. As a result, some lower elevation base areas could briefly start out as rain or a mix on Tuesday afternoon.

However, snow levels will quickly drop behind the late afternoon cold front (or evening cold front if you're in NE Oregon), lowering to 1,500-2,000 feet on Tuesday night across the Cascades and 1,000-1,500 feet across the Blues.

As for snow totals, the model image below has a fairly even distribution across the Cascades, but I'm expecting the Mt. Hood resorts to see the highest totals of 6-12 inches, while areas from Hoodoo to Bachelor to Willamette should see totals in the 4-8 inch range. The Blue Mountains will also see lighter snow totals compared to the last storm, ranging from 2-6 inches.

On Wednesday, an unsettled pattern will continue with lingering snow showers on the backside of the storm with a few more inches of snow possible. Winds will be gusty on Wednesday morning but will decrease in the afternoon.

For skiing conditions, Monday morning and Wednesday morning will offer the deepest conditions in this cycle. The last of the accumulating snow from late Tuesday night and during the day on Wednesday will be drier and more powdery compared to prior days. 

On Thursday (Feb 9) and Friday (Feb 10), a storm will approach the West Coast but is expected to weaken and head further south in the days to follow without ever making landfall.

Before this southward trend happens, some models are projecting moisture and snowfall to reach the Olympics and Central/Northern WA Cascades on Thursday-Friday, in which case light to moderate snowfall would be a possibility.

However, there's also a good chance the moisture never makes it onshore, in which case we would dry out throughout the PNW. We'll see how things look as we get closer and models come into better agreement.

On Saturday (Feb 11) and Sunday (Feb 12), we will most likely head into a drier pattern throughout the PNW. Temperatures also are projected to top out near or above freezing at Cascade ski resorts and in the upper 20s to low 30s across the Inland NW.

After that, I'm expecting storms to return to the area during the week of February 13th-19th with temperatures also projected to be colder than average.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Tuesday (Feb 7).

ALAN SMITH