Excellent snow conditions across North America

Both the West and the East have been active recently. Most mountain ranges across the continent have picked up heavy snow totals over the past 5-10 days with outstanding snow conditions for many areas as we head into February.

A storm earlier this week brought heavy snowfall to the Mid-Atlantic and Southern New England with 20-30+ inch totals being reported across Pennsylvania and New York in particular.

In the West, an active northwest flow pattern is setting up which will deliver the goods to the Pacific Northwest and the Rockies over the next several days. The 5-day Powder Finder for Wednesday, February 3rd through Sunday, February 7th highlights this pattern well, which will favor the Northern Cascades, BC Interior, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. 

 

Forecast for Wed, Feb 3 – Thu, Feb 4

Lighter snow showers will linger across New England on Wednesday before drying out Thursday. A storm will move across the Pacific Northwest and into the Rockies on Wednesday and into early Thursday with moderate to heavy snow expected for many areas. Another storm will reach British Columbia from the northwest on Thursday. 

Forecast for Fri, Feb 5 – Sat, Feb 6

A strong storm will slide from northwest to southeast across the Pacific Northwest and into the Northern/Central Rockies on Friday and Friday night, bringing more heavy snow from Washington to Colorado. A trailing disturbance will slide from north to south down the Continental Divide on Saturday, bringing additional snow from Alberta to Colorado as well. A storm will also bring heavy snow to the Upper Midwest on Friday with mixed precipitation developing across the Eastern states heading into Saturday.

Forecast for Sun, Feb 7 – Mon, Feb 8

Models are struggling to get a handle on the pattern in Days 5-6. A storm will be possible in the East on Sunday and Monday, but confidence is low regarding the storm track and how strong the storm could become. In the West, some models are projecting another storm to impact the Northwest and Northern Rockies, but confidence is low for this area as well. 

Outlook for Tue, Feb 9 – Sat, Feb 13

A cold airmass is expected to take hold across much of the continent next week with additional storms likely in the East. In the West, the pattern may settle down during the early part of this period, then it's possible we could see some storms return in a northwest flow pattern by later in the period. 

Thanks so much for reading! Check back for my next post on Friday, February 5th.

ALAN SMITH