Snowy Holiday Season 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 20, 2021

Summary

Multiple strong storms are expected across the West this week just in time for the Holidays. Christmas Day powder is looking like a good bet for many ski resorts. The Northeast and Upper Midwest will see an active pattern as well with snow chances every couple of days, though rain could make an appearance for some areas on Christmas Day.

Short Term Forecast

Deep snow totals expected across the West this week

An active pattern will support several strong storms across the West over the next 7 days with most major ski regions seeing deep totals adding up as we head into Christmas weekend. The pattern is coming at a great time as ski resorts should be able to get a lot of new terrain open just in time for the busy holiday season.

Forecast for Mon 12/20 – Tue 12/21:

A storm will bring moderate to heavy snow to parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies on Monday before tapering off by Tuesday. Farther north, a storm will also drop into Southeast Alaska and Northern BC from the northwest.

A weak storm will bring some light snow showers to Quebec and Northern New England on Monday night and Tuesday, while the Upper Midwest will also see a round of snow on Tuesday.

Forecast for Wed 12/22 – Thu 12/23:

A storm arriving from the northwest will bring moderate to heavy snow to Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday. A weaker storm will bring light/moderate snow to the Sierra and the U.S. Rockies on Wednesday, followed by a stronger storm on Wednesday night and Thursday with heavy snow for the Sierra, Cascades, and Northern/Central Rockies.

A storm will bring another round of light snow to most of the Northeast on Wednesday and the Upper Midwest will also see light snow on Thursday.

Forecast for Fri 12/24/ – Sat 12/25:

Moderate to heavy snow will fall across Utah and Colorado on Thursday night/Friday morning. Another strong storm will then bring heavy snow to the Cascades initially on Friday, before reaching the Sierra and the Rockies on Friday night and Saturday, resulting in Christmas Day powder for many areas.

A stronger storm will also impact the Upper Midwest and East on Friday and Saturday, but confidence is low as some areas could see a changeover to rain depending on the exact storm track and associated warm air surge from the south.

Extended Forecast

Outlook for Sun 12/26 – Thu 12/30:

The holiday week between Christmas and New Year's continues to look active across the West with additional storms expected. Arctic air is also projected to work its way south of the Canada/U.S. border during this period. The Northeast will continue to see chances of snow every couple of days or so.