Storm track begins to shift north

US and Canada Daily Snow

Heads up, there may be fresher snow! Read the latest US and Canada Daily Snow

By Alan Smith, Meteorologist Posted 3 years ago February 17, 2021

Summary

The Western U.S. has been in the flow recently with deep snow totals for many areas, especially in Utah and Wyoming. An active pattern will continue over the next 5-10 days, but we'll start to see a northward shift in the storm track with the PNW, Western Canada, & Northern Rockies becoming more favored. The East will stay active with a storm on Wed-Fri followed by another next week.

Short Term Forecast

Deep snow totals in the Tetons and Wasatch

Much of the West has received heavy snow during the past week, but the Teton Range in Wyoming and the Wasatch Range in Utah have scored the deepest snowfall. Check out the recent snow totals below at Jackson Hole – 48 inches (4 feet) over the past 5 days from February 12th-16th, and over 100 inches since February 1st. So far this month, Jackson Hole has experienced more double-digit powder days (5) than days without snow (4).

Forecast for Wed, Feb 17 – Fri, Feb 19

An active northwest flow pattern will result in more snow showers across the Rockies on Wednesday. The next storm will then impact the Northwest and Northern Rockies on Thursday and Friday with the deepest snow totals expected in the Cascades, BC Coast Range, Northern Idaho, and Alaska.

A storm will impact the East from Wednesday night through Friday morning with a mix of snow, ice, and rain expected south of the Mason-Dixon line while most areas from Pennsylvania north will see all-snow.

Forecast for Sat, Feb 20

Another storm will bring moderate snow to the Cascades, Northern Rockies, and Sierras on Saturday with heavier snow expected across the Northern BC Coast Range. The Northeast will see some lingering snow showers mainly during the morning hours on Saturday.

Forecast for Sun, Feb 21 – Mon, Feb 22

The Colorado Rockies will pick up some snow early on Sunday as the previous system departs. The next storm on Sunday and Monday will take a more northerly track with heavy snow expected for British Columbia, Washington, and to a lesser extent Alberta, Northern Idaho, and Northern Montana. Snow will also develop across parts of the East on Monday as another storm approaches.

Extended Forecast

Outlook for Tue, Feb 23 – Sat, Feb 27

The storm track during this timeframe will favor Western Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and the Northern Rockies, while the Sierras and Central Rockies (CA, UT, CO) could periodically see glancing blows. The Northeast will be favored for additional storms as well, especially early on in this period.