Storm track favors Tahoe and the Southwest

US and Canada Daily Snow

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By Alan Smith, Meteorologist Posted 1 year ago January 13, 2023

Summary

An active pattern will resume across the West this weekend and early next week with storms favoring the Sierra Nevada Range as well as the Southwest U.S. A storm will also impact the East on Friday with decent snow accumulations across parts of the Mid-Atlantic & New England. Toward the end of next week, Tahoe will finally start to dry out while the PNW will turn more active.

Short Term Forecast

Deep storm cycle ahead for the Southwest:

The jet stream will be located over the Southwest U.S. this weekend and early next week with a series of storms favoring the Sierra Nevada Range as well as Southern Utah, Northern Arizona, and the San Juan Range in Colorado. The Wasatch will also get in on the action, while Northern New Mexico will see a needed shot of snow as well.

Check out the 5-day snow forecast from Friday through Tuesday:

Forecast for Fri, Jan 13 – Sat, Jan 14:

Back-to-back storms will impact the Sierra Nevada Range on Friday-Saturday with heavy snow expected from Tahoe to Mammoth once again. The PNW will be impacted with a warm storm involving rain and high snow levels on Friday, followed by a weak storm with slightly lower snow levels on Saturday.

A storm will continue to impact the East on Friday with a cold front moving through, resulting in a change-over to snow across the Central/Southern Appalachians early Friday and across New England by later in the day on Friday. Snow showers will continue into Saturday with respectable amounts adding up across Northern New England as well as further south in West Virginia and North Carolina.

Forecast for Sun, Jan 15 – Mon, Jan 16:

Two storms will move across the Sierra Nevada Range and into the Southwest U.S. during this period with deep snow totals adding up. Snow totals will be lighter heading further north into Idaho and Wyoming, while a couple of weak storms will also bring snow to the Cascades and British Columbia with snow levels continuing to trend lower as colder air arrives.

Across the East, an area of low pressure will deepen off the coast of New England and it's possible some snow could develop across eastern portions of New England, but confidence is low. Warmer air will reach the central part of North America during this time as a storm reaches the Great Lakes region with rain expected to be the primary precipitation type.

Forecast for Tue, Jan 17 – Wed, Jan 18:

Snowfall will begin to taper off across the Sierra during this period while a storm will continue to deliver the goods to the Southwest. A storm will also reach the Pacific Northwest coastline during this time with heavy snow possible across the BC Coast Range and Washington Cascades.

A storm involving warmer air will move across the East during this period with a mix of rain and snow expected across the Great Lakes and Northeast, while the Mid-Atlantic will see all-rain.

Extended Forecast

Outlook for Thu, Jan 19 – Mon, Jan 23:

For the first time in a long time, California will head into a drier pattern as a ridge of high pressure builds along the West Coast and the jet stream shifts northward into the Pacific Northwest. As this happens, the PNW will be favored for storms while the Northern and Central Rockies should get in on the action at times as well.

Across the East, temperatures are expected to be warmer than average overall but medium-range models are hinting at the possibility of decent snowfall across the higher elevations of the Northeast and New England. Storms could very well produce a mixed bag of precipitation, however.