Getting Deep in the Pacific Northwest

Heavy snow with cold air and low snow levels has provided a nice boost to the early season snowpack in the Cascades this week. Crystal Mountain, Washington had received 18 inches of snow as of early Tuesday evening and likely has added to that total since then.

Forecast for Wed, Nov 11 – Thu, Nov 12

Snow will continue to fall across Oregon, Idaho and Northwest Wyoming on Wednesday with the Tetons likely picking up some of the highest totals. The next storm will then bring heavy snow to Alaska and northern/central portions of the British Columbia Coast Range on Thursday.

Forecast for Fri, Nov 13 – Sat, Nov 14

A big weekend is ahead for snow in the West! Snow will fall across the BC Coast Range, Cascades, Northern California and Western Idaho during the day on Friday, before spreading south into California and east into the Rockies on Friday night and Saturday. Heavy snow totals can be expected for many areas, especially in the Pacific Northwest.

Forecast for Sun, Nov 15 – Mon, Nov 16

The storm track will retreat westward off the Pacific Coast on Sunday and Monday, with more snow expected for BC, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Northwest Montana. However, warm subtropical air will also be arriving during this period, leading to rising snow levels.

Outlook for Tue, Nov 17 – Sat, Nov 21

The storm track will continue to hang off of the West Coast, favoring the Pacific Northwest and to a lesser extent the Sierras in California and the Northwest Rockies in Idaho and Montana. Fortunately, snow levels should also begin to lower starting on Tuesday the 17th.

Also, the Northeast will start to see some action with a weak storm expected on the 17th and another chance of snow later in this period. Colder temperatures will support more favorable snowmaking conditions as well.

Thanks so much for reading, and check back for my next post on Friday, November 13th.

ALAN SMITH

NEW: Avalanche Forecasts

Many folks have requested this over the past year and we're excited to now show avalanche forecasts for regions across North America.

You can use our map view to see a quick overview of the avalanche forecast conditions (which are mostly "grey" right now since there is no rating in the early season) and you can also go back in time for the last 7 days to see how the avalanche conditions have changed by using the slider at the bottom.

Then you can click on a region and you'll see a forecast as a pop-up along with a link out to that local avalanche center.

Also, we integrated the avalanche forecast into each mountain location page under a new tab called "Avalanche Forecast".

The avalanche forecasts are freely available and are the foundation of any backcountry experience. Please check these forecasts each time you head out of controlled terrain!

You can view the avalanche forecasts right now on our website and they will be live on our iPhone and Android apps very soon.

View → Avalanche Forecasts