US and Canada Daily Snow

Summary

Last week, the tallest mountains of the west were coated with snow, and we should see another few inches at the highest elevations this week. Again, September snow is not unusual, but it is fun to see!

Short Term Forecast

Last Week

We enjoyed a hint of winter as a cool early-season storm moved from southwest-to-northeast across the central and northern Rockies. Below are a few photos to whet your appetite for the season to come.

Upcoming Snow

The “Top Forecasts” map on OpenSnow is once again showing a handful of inches in the forecast across the western US and Canada.

You can view maps like this for free with the 5-day forecast and the extended 10-day snow forecast map is available to All-Access subscribers.

Forecast for Monday 9/16 – Wednesday 9/18

The first system this week will bring a few inches of high-elevation snow to British Columbia and Alberta in Canada, as well as California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. And let’s not forget about Alaska at the upper-left corner of the map, where deep totals will fall at the higher elevations.

Forecast for Thursday 9/19 – Saturday 9/21

The second system of the week will move across the Rockies between about Thursday 9/19 and Saturday 9/21. Again, the higher elevations of the Rockies should see a few inches of snow. This second storm will likely be colder than the week’s first storm, so there will be a better chance for accumulating snow and hence the slightly deeper totals that you see circled on the map below.

Extended Forecast

Outlook for Saturday 9/21– Monday 9/30

Following the storm that will exit the west around September 21st, we should see a period of warmer weather for about five days. There will be colder-than-average air close by during this time, but it should stay over the northern Pacific Ocean.

Then the 10-15 day outlook from about Thursday, September 26 through Monday, September 30th, shows that a cooler storm might push over the northern Rockies. I place little confidence in the 10-15 day forecasts, though the map below was created by averaging 21 forecasts, and this averaging can be trusted more than simply picking one forecast.

Thanks so much for reading, and look for early-season updates each Monday morning so that we can begin to get excited for a (hopefully) snowy season ahead.

JOEL GRATZ

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