Snow and chilly temperatures ahead for the West

An active pattern has taken hold across Western North America during the second half of this week. Colder air has been filtering in from northwest to southeast with a gradual drop in snow levels as a result.

New snow fell across ski resorts in British Columbia and Alberta on Thursday. Check out this shot from the Larch Cam at Lake Louise late Thursday afternoon.

Two storms will impact the West over the next 6 days with progressively colder air arriving with both storms. Temperatures will be below average throughout the West during this time.

Forecast for Fri, Oct 8 – Sat, Oct 9

A cold front will move from west to east across the Sierra and the Rockies on Friday and Saturday, which combined with good jet stream support will enhance snowfall rates across the mid to high elevations from California to Colorado.

Meanwhile, the second colder storm will begin to impact Southeast Alaska and Northern/Western British Columbia on Friday night and Saturday

Forecast for Sun, Oct 10 – Mon, Oct 11

A strong and cold storm will impact BC, Alberta, and Washington on Sunday with snow levels falling as low as 3,000-4,000 feet. Snow will then spread south and east into the Oregon Cascades and Northern U.S. Rockies on Sunday night and Monday.

Forecast for Tue, Oct 12 – Wed, Oct 13

This will be the period to watch as the storm reaches the Central Rockies and a well-defined area of low pressure in the upper atmosphere moves across Utah and Colorado. There is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the track/position of the storm, but at this time, areas along and east of the Continental Divide in Southern Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado appear to be the most favored for heavy snow.

Some mountain areas west of the Continental Divide, such as the Central/Southern Utah ranges (south of the Wasatch) and the San Juans in Colorado could also do quite well depending on the exact storm track.

Another storm system will impact British Columbia on Tuesday and Wednesday with a little bit of snow extending south into the Washington Cascades as well.

Outlook for Thu, Oct 14 – Mon, Oct 18

The storm track during this period will favor the Pacific Northwest, including British Columbia and the Washington/Oregon Cascades. The U.S. Rockies will start to dry out but temperatures will remain below average for nearly the entire West. Warmer than average temperatures will persist across the East.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Monday (10/11).

ALAN SMITH