Snow Stakes are the Best

Many mountains have installed snow stake cameras which show you how much snow has fallen, in real-time. There is no more need to squint at nighttime webcams to see if it’s snowing or to wait nervously for the 500am snow report to be released. This cam from Winter Park, Colorado measured 13 inches from Sunday night through Monday afternoon (February 16-17) which was a part of a 26-inch storm cycle.

Forecast for Thu, Feb 20 – Fri, Feb 21

If you’re chasing powder in the lower 48 United States, the deepest snow on Thursday will be in Tennessee and North Carolina. Finally some love for the Southeast! Elsewhere, coastal Alaska and British Columbia will see deep totals.

Forecast for Sat, Feb 22 – Sun, Feb 23

There has been an important shift in the forecast. It now appears that the southwestern storm will track farther north than previously anticipated. This means that not only will Arizona, New Mexico, southern Colorado, and southern Utah receive significant snow, but most of Colorado should see a snowy Saturday night and Sunday as well. The other storm on the map will be making landfall in the Northwest on Sunday with snow hitting British Columbia and Washington.

Forecast for Mon, Feb 24 – Tue, Feb 25

Next week, the southwestern storm will head into the Midwest and the snow over the Northwest will move through the Rockies. I expect multiple snowy days to start the week in Washington, British Columbia, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado.

Outlook for Wed, Feb 26 – Sun, Mar 1

We will end February and start March with a pattern that favors storms over the northern Rockies and potentially the Northeast as well. California, which has a solid base but could use fresh snow, might be stuck in the middle between storms moving inland from the Pacific Ocean. Let’s hope that this changes soon.

Thanks so much for reading and please check back for my next post on Monday, February 24th.

JOEL GRATZ

The Quest for Powder

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