Deep pattern continues through the weekend across the West

Late November and early December have been incredible for much of the West with frequent heavy snow events and cold temperatures for the Sierra, Cascades, and Rockies. Check out the scene from Mammoth Mountain in California earlier this week.

Yet another storm is on track to impact the Sierra Nevada Range this weekend with deep totals expected, while the Rockies will get in on the action as well.

Forecast for Fri, Dec 9 – Sat, Dec 10:

A weak storm will move across the Sierra, Inland Northwest, and Central/Northern Rockies on Friday with a quick round of snow expected. A much stronger storm will then bring heavy snow to the Pacific Northwest on Friday and to Tahoe and Sierra Nevada Range starting on Saturday.

Further east, a tricky storm will move across Southern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan on Friday with a relatively narrow band of heavy snow expected. This storm will fizzle out as it moves east with only some light rain expected for the Mid-Atlantic.

Forecast for Sun, Dec 11 – Mon, Dec 12:

A strong storm will impact much of the West during this period with Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Range favored initially on Sunday. Snow will also pick up across the Rockies from Sunday into Monday with Utah and parts of Idaho looking like the most favored areas.

A storm will also move into the East on Sunday with moderate snow totals possible across much of New York, while New England could also see light snow. Pennsylvania looks like it will be in the battle zone between snow and rain.

Way up north, a strong storm will impact Alaska on Sunday and Monday with powder days looking like a strong possibility at Alyeska and Eaglecrest.

Forecast for Tue, Dec 13 – Wed, Dec 14:

On Tuesday, snow showers on the backside of the Western storm will persist across the Rockies, with areas near the Continental Divide being the most favored.

As the storm moves into the Midwest on Tuesday and Wednesday, heavy snow will be possible across northern and central portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin. However, warmer air moving in from the south will result in some rain or mixed precipitation issues for parts of the Great Lakes (low confidence on the rain/snow transition zones at this time).

Outlook for Thu, Dec 15 – Mon, Dec 19:

The pattern will settle down across the West compared to recent weeks, though some models are hinting at a storm reaching California and moving into the Southwest during the latter part of this period. Across the East, the pattern is looking more interesting with colder temperatures along with improved snow potential for the Northeast and New England. 

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Monday (Dec 12).

ALAN SMITH