Snow opportunities ahead for the East and 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 January 28, 2022

Summary

A Nor'easter will impact areas along the coast in New England on Saturday and it will be a close call for ski resorts in New England with a sharp cutoff expected between areas seeing heavy vs. light snow. The pattern will also turn more active across the West this weekend and early next week. Storms will favor BC & WA for the deepest totals but the Rockies will also get in on the action.

Short Term Forecast

Fun week for areas east of the Divide in Montana

While much of the West has been stuck in a dry/snowless pattern recently, areas east of the Continental Divide in Montana saw two storms this week with solid snow totals adding up at Showdown and Red Lodge, who picked up 18 inches and 10 inches respectively over a 3-day timespan.

Other ski resorts in North America that have been favored over the past 5 days include Eaglecrest, AK (18 inches), Crystal Mountain, MI (13 inches), Holiday Valley, NY (10 inches), and Mad River Glen, VT (9 inches).

Forecast for Fri 1/28 – Sat 1/29:

A coastal low will develop off the Atlantic Coast on Friday with snow developing over NC, VA, and WV followed by heavy snow on Saturday across coastal portions of New England, possibly extending far enough inland to bring heavy snow to some ski resorts.

A storm will also bring heavy snow to Southeast Alaska starting on Friday before extending southward into Northern BC on Saturday.

Forecast for Sun 1/30 – Mon 1/31:

The Nor'easter will quickly lift northward on Sunday morning with lingering snow tapering off from south to north. A storm will bring heavy snow to BC, Washington, and Northern Idaho on Sunday and Sunday night with snow spreading into Southern Idaho, Montana, and NW Wyoming on Monday.

Forecast for Tue 2/1 – Wed 2/2:

Two weaker storms will move from northwest to southeast across the Pacific Northwest and into the Rockies during this period, with Colorado likely being favored for the heaviest snowfall, most of which will fall on Wednesday. A storm will also bring snow to parts of the Upper Midwest on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the Northeast will see warmer air arrive with a mix of rain and snow expected.

Extended Forecast

Outlook for Thu 2/3 – Mon 2/7:

Colder air will take hold across a large portion of North America from west to east during this period, but high pressure building along the West Coast will result in a drying trend for most of the West. The exception will be Western Canada and possibly Northern Washington/Idaho/Montana, who should continue to see weak to moderate storms.

A storm early in this period will likely bring a period of rain or mixed precipitation to much of the East, but then colder air will arrive and snow chances should improve by later in this period.