Snow coverage increasing across the West

A series of cold storms have impacted the West since late last week and a base has been set for the upcoming season at ski resorts from BC to the Pacific Northwest to the Rockies. As the snow continues to pile up over the coming weeks, be sure to check out our interactive Snow Depth Map which provides estimated snow cover (in inches) for the U.S. & Southern Canada. This map gives a good idea of how much snow is on the ground and is updated once per day. 

Forecast for Wed 10/26 – Thu 10/27:

Snow will fall across the Cascades on Wednesday morning, before reaching Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming on Wednesday afternoon/evening. Snow will then focus on Colorado and New Mexico on Wednesday night and Thursday, with central/northern Colorado expected to see the deepest snow totals.

A strong but warm storm will begin to impact BC and the Pacific Northwest on Thursday, but snow levels will be on the rise with heavy accumulations confined to higher elevation areas. 

Forecast for Fri 10/28 – Sat 10/29:

A strong storm will continue to impact the Northwest during this period. Mild air will result in the rain/snow line rising above ski resort summits in Oregon & Washington, while snow levels will be around mid-mountain for most resorts in Southern BC. Heavy snow and lower snow levels can be expected across Northern BC and Southeast Alaska.

Dry and mostly sunny conditions will take hold from the Central Rockies to Tahoe during this period, along with the Eastern U.S.

Forecast for Sun 10/30 – Mon 10/31:

The Northwest will be the focus once again with mild air and high snow levels expected on Sunday before colder air arrives on Monday with lower snow levels and rain changing to snow for many areas. Heavy snow will be possible across BC and Washington on Monday.

Outlook for Tue 11/1 – Sat 11/5:

An active northwest flow storm track involving cold air will resume across the West during the first week of November with multiple storms possible across the Northwest and the Rockies. If any of these storms dig far enough south upon reaching the West Coast, then Tahoe could get in on the action as well. The East will remain in a mild and relatively dry late fall pattern.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Friday (10/28).

ALAN SMITH

You can now get a forecast for any location (on land) across the globe, and you can save any of these "Custom Locations" as a favorite. 

Any "Custom Location" comes with estimated 24-hour snowfall. This means that you can set a "Custom Location" for your favorite backcountry spot and get estimated snowfall and estimated snowfall history. Since most backcountry areas do not have snow measurement equipment located at that exact spot, this feature will be a useful way to get a general estimate of how much snow has fallen.

To set your first "Custom Location", make sure that you are using the latest version of our iOS or Android apps (this works on our website, too!), then go to the Map tab, tap any spot on the map, and you're on the way to creating your first "Custom Location". You can learn more about Forecast Anywhere in this short how-to article.

Being able to get the forecast and save points as "Custom Locations" means that you can use our forecast data for any place you'd like to go - for backcountry skiing, camping, or even to see how much we think it'll snow in your backyard. And remember that "Custom Locations" works worldwide, so if you're traveling to a spot on the globe where we don't have a resort-based forecast (we have forecasts for many spots outside the US), go ahead and set up a "Custom Location".

And the last note is that "Custom Locations" are private and no other OpenSnow subscribers will be able to see the "Custom Locations" that you create.

Please check out this new feature and let us know what you think!