Consistent snow coming to the Northwest & Rockies

US and Canada Daily Snow

Heads up, there may be fresher snow! Read the latest US and Canada Daily Snow

By Joel Gratz, Founding Meteorologist Posted 4 years ago December 30, 2019

Summary

Christmas week delivered the deepest powder to the southwest with 1-3 feet falling in southern California, southern Utah, Arizona, southern Colorado, and New Mexico. During New Years week, the weather pattern will shift to bring consistent snow to the Northwest and the Rockies with multiple days of snow and deep accumulations.

Short Term Forecast

Big Flakes = Big Powder

There is nothing more fun than skiing deep, fluffy powder while intense snow continues to fall from the sky. That was the case at Wolf Creek, Colorado on Saturday, December 28th. The day started with a storm total of 14 inches and big flakes accumulated at the rate of one inch per hour all day with 11 additional inches measured by the evening.

Forecast for Mon, Dec 30 – Tue, Dec 31

The final two days of 2019 will bring the most snow to three distinct areas: British Columbia, the Upper Midwest, and northern New England. Enjoy the year-end powder!

Forecast for Wed, Jan 1 – Fri, Jan 3

The new year will bring a new weather pattern. This pattern will feature a storm track from the Northwest with consistent snowfall for British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The secret to great powder skiing is new snow accumulating for many days in a row, and that’s what we’ll see during the first three days of 2020.

Forecast for Sat, Jan 4 – Sun, Jan 5

The medium-range models show that the northwest storm track will continue through the weekend, though my confidence is still low concerning the timing and location of the deepest snow.

Extended Forecast

Outlook for Mon, Jan 6 – Fri, Jan 10

All forecast models show roughly the same outlook. The Northwest storm track will continue into the first full week of January, and while this favors the Northwest and the Northern Rockies, it’s possible that storms could dip far enough south to hit California and may also track over the Northeast.