Rockies favored early this week following an epic dump in Tahoe

A powerful storm produced up to several feet of snow at Tahoe ski resorts last weekend. Check out the Tahoe Daily Snow for the latest snow totals. This storm is moving across the Rockies early this week, delivering the goods to Utah, Colorado, and Northern Arizona over the next three days (Mon to Wed). Check out the three-day snowfall projection from a blend of weather models.

Forecast for Mon, Dec 12 – Tue, Dec 13:

Utah and Northern Arizona will wake up to powder days on Monday morning with backside snow showers lingering into the day. Colorado will also see a couple of rounds of snow on Monday and Tuesday as the storm moves east, while Central Wyoming will receive heavy snow. Lighter snow showers can be expected further north in Idaho and Montana.

Elsewhere, Alaska will get hit by a major storm with deep snow totals expected at Alyeska and Eaglecrest. The Northeast will also see some lingering snow showers early on Monday following Sunday's snow event.

Forecast for Wed, Dec 14 – Thu, Dec 15:

Snow showers will linger across Northern Colorado on Wednesday and across areas east of the Continental Divide in Wyoming and Montana.

As the storm moves east, heavy snow will develop across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the UP of Michigan, though rain/ice could mix in for some areas during the warmest part of the storm. The leading edge of the storm will reach the Mid-Atlantic on Thursday with a mix of snow, rain, and ice expected.

Up north, another strong storm will impact Alaska with heavy snow expected.

Forecast for Fri, Dec 16 – Sat, Dec 17:

A strong storm will impact the Northeast during this period with heavy snow expected across parts of New England, New York, and possibly Pennsylvania. Snow showers will also re-develop on the backside of this storm across the Great Lakes region.

The West will head into a cold and dry pattern during this period, though a couple of weak disturbances arriving from the north could bring some snow showers/flurries to areas along and east of the Divide in Alberta, Montana, and Wyoming.

Outlook for Sun, Dec 18 – Thu, Dec 22:

Get ready for some serious cold across the Lower 48 as arctic air spills southward, resulting in below-average temps for all areas except Alaska. The storm track is looking more favorable across the East with additional shots of snow possible. The West may start out dry initially, but then a northwest flow pattern is expected to set up, which could open the door to storms for the Northwest & Northern Rockies. 

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Wednesday (Dec 14).

ALAN SMITH