Winter (finally) arrives in the West this week!

After several weeks of mild weather, the pattern is finally changing across the West with colder temperatures and frequent storms expected over the next 5-10 days. The Pacific Northwest and the Southern Rockies including Colorado will be favored for the deepest totals over the next 5 days. See our 5-Day Powder Finder:

Forecast for Mon 12/6 – Tue 12/7:

A storm arriving from the northwest will bring snow to the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies on Monday and Utah and Colorado on Tuesday with Tahoe seeing a glancing blow with a little bit of snow on the western fringe. Farther north, a strong storm will bring heavy snow to Alaska and Northwest BC.

Over the eastern half of North America, the UP of Michigan will see snow on Monday, while a storm in the East will bring mostly rain to the Mid-Atlantic and New England on Monday followed by some backside snow showers on Tuesday. Quebec ski resorts will see heavy snow initially on Monday, but then a changeover to rain is expected there as well.

Forecast for Wed 12/8 – Thu 12/9:

The next storm dropping in out of the Northwest will bring heavy snow to parts of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday and lighter snow into Southern Idaho, SW Montana, and NW Wyoming on Wednesday night. A stronger storm will then deepen farther south on Thursday with moderate to heavy snow developing from Tahoe to Utah to Colorado.

A weaker but colder storm in the East will bring a round of light snow to the Mid-Atlantic and New England on Wednesday & Wednesday night. 

Forecast for Fri 12/10 – Sat 12/11:

Utah and Colorado will continue to see snow on Thursday night and Friday with heavy snow totals possible across Western and Central Colorado. A strong storm will impact British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest on Friday and Saturday with heavy snow possible.

The Northeast will see light snow showers early on Friday, but the next storm on Saturday will likely be a rain event. Portions of the Upper Midwest could be impacted by a relatively narrow band of heavy snow on Friday and/or Saturday.

Outlook for Sun 12/12 – Thu 12/16

The West Coast will be the most favored during this period with the potential for heavy snow across the Sierra (including Tahoe) and Pacific Northwest, while the Rockies could see leftovers from time to time. The East will be in play for more storms during this period, but rain could be a factor at times with warmer than average temperatures expected.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Wednesday (12/8).

ALAN SMITH

PS – Check out our interview with professional skier Chris Davenport!