Major storm cycle ahead for the West

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 2 years ago December 10, 2021

Summary

A powerful storm will progress from north to south along the West Coast from Friday through Tuesday with deep snow totals adding up across the BC Coast Range, Cascades, and Sierra with snowfall being measured in feet. Inland areas such as Idaho and the BC Powder Highway will also see nice totals. Colorado & Utah saw heavy snow on Thursday with lingering snow Friday & more on the way next week.

Short Term Forecast

Big storm cycle ahead for the West will boost early season conditions

Areas that have been struggling to open up for skiing this season such as the Cascades and Sierra will be slammed with heavy snow from Friday through Tuesday with feet of snow expected. British Columbia will see heavy snow from this storm as well and will continue to enjoy excellent early season conditions. Also, don't sleep on Idaho with deep snow totals are also likely during this cycle.

Forecast for Fri 12/10 – Sat 12/11

Colorado will continue to see heavy snow early on Friday from the last storm, before tapering off in the afternoon. The mentioned big weekend storm will get underway over British Columbia on Friday with heavy snow extending southward into the Cascades and Idaho Panhandle on Saturday.

The storm that previously impacted Colorado will swing northeastward toward the Great Lakes with heavy snow expected at ski areas in Northeast Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan. The Northeast will see some light snow showers early on Friday, but the next storm arriving on Saturday will bring mostly rain.

Forecast for Sun 12/12 – Mon 12/13

Moderate to heavy snow will continue across the Pacific Northwest on Sunday and Monday with the heaviest snow extending southward into Northern California and the Sierra on Sunday night and Monday. Idaho will see heavy snow on both Sunday and Monday as well.

Forecast for Tue 12/14 – Wed 12/15

The strongest part of the storm will continue to progress southward with very heavy snowfall rates expected across the Sierra on Tuesday with a little bit of snow even making it into SoCal. The storm will eventually sweep inland on Tuesday night and Wednesday with a round of moderate to heavy snow expected across the Rockies.

An impulse moving northward away from the parent storm will bring another of snow to the Northwest and British Columbia on Tuesday as well, before drying out on Wednesday.

Extended Forecast

Outlook for Thu 12/16 – Mon 12/20:

A relatively quiet pattern is expected during this time with weak to moderate storms favoring the Sierra and Cascades with generally light snow potential for the Rockies. Temperatures will be colder than average across the West, though. Well-above-average warmth will persist across the East during this time with limited snow potential as a result.