Northwest continues to score the goods

A barrage of storms dating back to last week has continued to bring good snowfall to the Pacific Northwest through the early part of this week. While the pattern will quiet down somewhat over the second half of the week, the Northwest will still be the most favored compared to the rest of North America.

Snow totals over the past five days have been the deepest across British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming. Over the past seven days alone, Whistler-Blackcomb has picked up 181 cm (72 inches or 6 feet) of snow!

The Inland Northwest in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho has also done very well over the past week with deep totals at areas such as 49 Degrees North, Schweitzer, Lookout Pass, and Brundage. Check out the scene at Schweitzer from this past weekend during a sunny period in between storms.

Forecast for Wed, Jan 6 – Thu, Jan 7

Another storm will bring more snow across the British Columbia Coast Range and Washington/Oregon Cascades early on Wednesday before spreading into the Inland Northwest through Wednesday night. The storm will weaken as it moves east with areas closer to the Continental Divide in the Northern Rockies picking up some light snow showers on Thursday.

Forecast for Fri, Jan 8 – Sat, Jan 9

A weaker storm will reach the West Coast on Friday with more snow falling across the Cascades and BC Coast Range, while the Rockies will only pick up some light snow heading into Saturday as the storm weakens. A storm will also move across the Southeast early on Friday with moderate to heavy snow expected across the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains in Western North Carolina. 

Forecast for Sun, Jan 10 – Mon, Jan 11

Sunday is looking quiet for most areas except for possibly some lingering snow showers early in the day across Southern Colorado/Northern New Mexico. On Monday, the next storm will take a more northerly track, impacting the British Columbia Coast Range and Alaska, while the Washington Cascades look to be on the southern fringe of the action. 

Outlook for Tue, Jan 12 – Sat, Jan 16

High pressure will build over the West during this period with the storm track shifting well north of the border into British Columbia. Ski areas in British Columbia should continue to see some action, but warmer temperatures and high snow levels could be an issue at times. In the East, a storm will be possible early in this period across the Appalachians and perhaps into Southern New England, but there is plenty of uncertainty regarding the storm track this far out.

Thanks so much for reading! Check back for my next post on Friday, January 8th.

ALAN SMITH