Alaska and Canada High Elevation Snow

Snow continues to accumulate in the higher terrain of Alaska and Canada this week. Snow levels are staying high but are still bringing light snow to the upper terrain of several resorts. Check out a quick look around British Columbia and Alberta on Tuesday, October 17th. 

The remainder of the US continues to be quiet this week. The biggest news came from the Appalachian Mountains in the Mid-Atlanitc where the highest elevations saw the first snow of the year with snow accumulations less than 3 inches.

Forecast for Wed (Oct 18) to Thu (Oct 19):

Alaska and Canada will continue to see snow as the storm train continues. Snow levels will be lower further north toward Alaska. Snow levels will rise further south into British Columbia and Alberta, affecting only the highest peaks. 

In the US, a weak storm system will move through the Upper Midwest and extend through the Great Lakes on Thursday as well as some areas in the Southeast. The rest of the US will be quiet, dry, and warm. 

Forecast for Fri (Oct 20) to Sat (Oct 21):

The storm system in Alaska and British Columbia will exit and allow cold air to dip in from the north. Some moisture will still be in these areas, which will cause a few snow showers with light snow accumulations.

The storm system in the Midwest will continue to dip to the south and interact with a storm system along the East Coast. The interaction of these two storm systems will develop widespread precipitation through the East Coast with localized heavy amounts and some flooding. 

The track of the storm system will bring cold air and light snow showers north of the Great Lakes. 

The West Coast will get ready to become active with a storm system approaching the Northwest on Saturday. 

Forecast for Sun (Oct 22) to Mon (Oct 23):

The storm system in the East will track to the north and bring cold air behind it. This will cause a few areas of the higher terrain in the Northeast to see light snow accumulations on Sunday. 

The storm system in the Northwest will continue to move inland with snow levels that could give the upper elevations of resorts light snow accumulations. Most regions in the West look to see some precipitation with this storm cycle. Snow accumulations look to be heaviest around the continental divide. 

Outlook for Tue (Oct 24) to Sat (Oct 28):

Active weather will continue for the western US as more storm systems impact the Northwest. Snow levels will continue to impact the upper elevations of resorts. 

As these storm systems move inland, they will bring more high elevation light snow. The complication to the forecast is a potential tropical disturbance impacting Mexico and moving northeast toward the Rockies and Midwest. This potential storm system will impact the amount of moisture that could fall over the Rockies in addition to snow levels.

The active weather will continue through the Midwest and into the Northeast, with average to above average temperatures keeping snow out of the picture.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Friday (October 20).

Zach Butler

P.S. We now have iOS widgets!

It will take you 30-60 seconds to set up, and then you'll be able to see current conditions, check the forecast, and keep an eye on your favorite cams right on your home screen(s), without opening our app.

Our new “Current Conditions”, “Snow Summary”, and “Mountain Cams” widgets are available exclusively to All-Access subscribers with the latest version (5.4.2) of the OpenSnow iOS app installed.

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