Pattern Change for the West

After a warm and dry stretch of weather in the Western U.S. (and a warm and wet/rainy pattern in Western Canada), the storm door will open starting this weekend with cold air and more frequent storms to follow.

The pattern will not necessarily result in huge dumps for all areas within the 10-day timeframe, but most ski areas will see accumulations and some areas will do quite well. Favorable base-building conditions both in terms of natural snowfall as well as cold temperatures should be expected, the latter of which will also support good snowmaking conditions.

Western Canada, the Pacific Northwest, the Northern Rockies, and Southwest Colorado are some of the more favored areas in the next 10 days, but don't sleep on Tahoe or Utah either.

Forecast for Wed, Nov 4 – Fri, Nov 6

An approaching storm from the Gulf of Alaska will bring rain and snow (high snow levels) to British Columbia on Wednesday, with falling snow levels and more widespread snow in BC, Alberta, and Northern Washington on Thursday.

On Friday, this storm will "split" with the southern portion bringing snow to the Oregon Cascades and Tahoe region, while the northern portion will favor NW Montana, SE British Columbia, and SW Alberta.

Forecast for Sat, Nov 7 – Sun, Nov 8

On Saturday and Sunday, the storm will shift inland with snow falling throughout the Rockies with the San Juans in Colorado likely to see some of the heavier totals. The east side of the Continental Divide in Montana will also benefit from favorable upslope flow. Cold air will be arriving with low snow levels throughout the West this weekend. In addition, a second storm will bring more snow to Oregon and California on Sunday.

Forecast for Mon, Nov 9

The mentioned second storm will bring more snow to the Southwest on Monday with the San Juans looking prime once again. Meanwhile, the next storm up north will reach the Northern Coast Range of British Columbia.

Outlook for Tue, Nov 10 – Sat, Nov 14

A favorable pattern will remain in place across the West during this period with new storms arriving every couple of days while temperatures remain colder than average. A storm on the 10th-11th will likely favor the Northwest and Northern Rockies, while another storm toward the end of this period could extend farther south into California, Utah, and Colorado.

Thanks so much for reading and please check back for my next post on Friday, November 6th.

ALAN SMITH

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