Snow picking up across the West; Tahoe is about to get slammed

Things were off to a slow start out west in November and early December, but the pattern is really picking up now as we head into mid-December. Crystal Mountain, Mt. Baker, Whistler, Crested Butte, Snowbird, Alta, and Wolf Creek have all received over 30 inches of snow in the past 5 days.

Attention now turns to the Sierra Nevada Range where very heavy snow is expected early this week, followed by second round later in the week. In fact, the OpenSnow forecast for Kirkwood is for 81 inches over the next 5 days!

Forecast for Mon 12/13 – Tue 12/14:

A powerful storm will slam Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Range on Monday and Tuesday with feet of snow, while the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies will also see moderate to heavy snow to the north of the parent storm.

Forecast for Wed 12/15 – Thu 12/16:

The West Coast storm will move inland across the Rockies on Tuesday night and Wednesday with heavy snow favoring Utah while Colorado and Wyoming will see moderate snow. Another storm will arrive from the West on Wednesday night and Thursday with heavy snow for the Sierra and Southern Oregon Cascades, while areas farther north will see lighter snow. 

Light snow from this second storm will also reach the Central Rockies on Thursday. Meanwhile, a storm will bring a round of snow to the Upper Midwest (primarily MN) while it will be mostly a rain event for the east, other than parts of New England who could start as snow before changing to rain.

Forecast for Fri 12/17 – Sat 12/18:

Light snow showers over the Central Rockies will taper off early Friday. The next storm will then bring heavy snow to the Northwest and Northern Rockies on Friday night and Saturday. A storm is also possible for the Northeast on Friday night and Saturday, but confidence is low in whether or not the precipitation type will favor more snow versus rain. 

Outlook for Sun 12/19 – Mon 12/23:

The storm track will be most favorable for the Sierra in California during this period, but the Northwest and Northern Rockies could also do well with colder temperatures favoring good quality snow. The Central Rockies could also see some action by later in this period.

The East will also see an improving pattern with colder temperatures and increasing snow potential.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Wednesday (12/15).

ALAN SMITH

PS – We are going to make some significant changes to OpenSnow beginning this week. If you’re an All-Access subscriber (thank you!), you’ll see no changes. If you are not an All-Access subscriber, here is an FAQ with more details about the upcoming changes, and we hope that eventually, we’ll earn your support. You’ll begin to see these changes via our website on Monday, December 13 and later this week in the OpenSnow app.