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Conditions

• New Snow (Mid Mountain snow stake)
  • 0” Saturday 500am to Sunday 500am (24 hours)
  • 0” Saturday 500pm to Sunday 500am (12 hours)

• New Snow (Summit snow stake)
  • 0” Saturday 500am to Sunday 500am (24 hours)
  • 0” Saturday 500pm to Sunday 500am (12 hours)

• Last Snowfall
  • 3” Monday Night & Tuesday (November 18-19)

• Snowpack
  • 66% of the 30-year average

• Terrain
  • 4 of 23 lifts
  • 11 of 181 trails

Sunday

Sunday will start dry, and then snow will begin around Sunday midday and continue through Sunday night. This storm is coming in from the northwest and we can just see some thicker clouds in that direction on Sunday morning.

Sunday's temperatures will be in the 30s, dropping into the 20s as the snow arrives midday and afternoon. There could be a few inches of accumulation by the late afternoon.

Monday

Monday should begin with 3-6 inches of new snow that fell on Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening. Temperatures will start in the teens, then rise into the 20s, and the skies should be mostly sunny for most of the day.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

The second storm of the week will bring significant snow from Monday night through Wednesday night.

The positive factors are a LOT of moisture and the long duration of the storm. The negative factors are warm temperatures (thicker snow) and a not-perfect wind direction from the west-southwest, which then transitions to a more favorable direction from the west and west-northwest.

Tuesday will be snowing for most of the day with 3-7+ inches of accumulation and temperatures in the 20s. Temperatures will be rather warm, so we might flirt with rain mixing in around the base area. Powder should get deeper through the day and the snow quality will be rather thick/dense.

Tuesday night will bring an additional 3-7+ inches of snow. Again, temperatures will be warm, so we'll continue to deal with the possibility of rain mixing in around the base area, though temperatures should slowly cool by Wednesday morning.

Wednesday will be the final part of the storm with another 3-6+ inches of accumulation and cooling temperatures throughout the day. These cooling temperatures will transition the snow quality from dense to fluffier, so Wednesday could be a fun day with powder for first chair and snow continuing throughout the day.

Wednesday night is uncertain. I think that the snow will mostly end before the night, but if snow continues to fall after lifts close on Wednesday afternoon, then there will be additional powder on Thursday morning.

On Thursday, the storm will be over and the skies may begin to clear out. There could be fluffy powder in the morning if snow continues to fall into Wednesday night, and due to all of the new snow this week, my guess (just a guess) is that a lot more terrain will open on and after Thanksgiving day.

The total snowfall from Monday night to Thursday morning should be 12-24 inches.

Longer Range

Following the upcoming storm cycle, we'll likely see 1-2 weeks of dry weather from Thanksgiving through early/mid-December, so it's great that our base will be deeper before the calm weather arrives. Also, the low sun angle of early December will help to preserve our snowpack.

Into early December, we may get clipped by storms as they track from central Canada toward the U.S. east coast, so there will still be a low chance for brief periods of snow and cooler air.

Tap below to see our forecasts:

• Steamboat Resort (9,500 ft)
• Buffalo Pass (10,200 ft)
• Rabbit Ears Pass (9,500 ft)
• Town of Hayden (6,400 ft)

My next update will be on Monday morning.

Thanks for reading!

JOEL GRATZ
Meteorologist at OpenSnow.com