US and Canada Daily Snow
By Alan Smith, Meteorologist Posted 6 months ago April 24, 2024
Final Post of the 2023-2024 Season
Summary
Spring skiing conditions have prevailed across much of the West over the past several days. However, an active pattern will develop during the final days of April with the potential for late-season "powder" days at ski resorts that are still open. New snowfall will be on the denser side and snow will largely be confined to mid to high elevations.
Short Term Forecast
Seven-Day Snow Forecast:
It's not over yet! Although the seasons are changing, there are still a number of ski resorts that will stay open through late April or May, and many of these resorts are going to see late-season snow as an active pattern takes hold across the West with frequent storm systems moving through.
Temperatures will start out mild in this pattern with high snow levels, but colder air will arrive over the weekend and snow levels to fall to mid-mountain or lower at many ski areas, with cool and wet conditions for the lower elevations.
Most major mountain ranges will pick up at least a little bit of snow over the next 7 days, with the highest snow totals expected across the Northwest and the Rockies.
Forecast for Wed (Apr 24) to Thu (Apr 25):
Two storm systems will reach the West during this period. A storm moving into the Western U.S. will be weaker and warmer with scattered rain and snow showers expected, with light and spotty accumulations for the higher elevations.
Further north, a somewhat colder system will move into Canada with light snow showers for the mid to high elevations, including Whistler and the Canadian Rockies.
Across the East, a system moving across New England will result in rain showers for most areas, but the higher terrain could see snow mixing in at times.
Forecast for Fri (Apr 26) to Sat (Apr 27):
A stronger and colder storm will move into the West with more widespread snow expected. The Central Rockies will see the highest snow totals, including Utah and Colorado where a number of resorts will be open this weekend. The Cascades will see light to moderate snowfall, with generally light accumulations for Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Range.
Forecast for Sun (Apr 28) to Mon (Apr 29):
Snow showers will continue across the Central Rockies, while the next storm will bring moderate to locally heavy snow to the Northwest, favoring Washington and BC.
Extended Forecast
Outlook for Tue (Apr 30) to Sat (May 4):
A cool and active pattern will continue across the Northwest and Northern Rockies with additional periods of snow expected across the higher terrain. Whistler, Banff/Lake Louise, and the Mt. Hood resorts are open ski areas that are in line to see more snow.
To the south, a generally milder pattern is expected, though occasional snow showers are possible for the Central Rockies and possibly the Sierra.
The East will see a warmer pattern take hold with occasional rain showers and thunderstorms, as is typical for early May.
This is the last US & Canada Daily Snow of the season.
Be sure to stick with OpenSnow this summer and utilize our automated weather forecasts (learn more here) and high-resolution maps (learn more here).
These resources are excellent planning tools for hiking, biking, climbing, camping, water sports, and any other outdoor activity during the non-winter months.
Also, if you live and/or recreate in the West during the summer, be sure to subscribe to the Western U.S. Daily Summit which is similar to a Daily Snow, but focuses on summer weather and will be updated regularly from May through early September.
Thanks so much for reading and have a great summer!
Alan Smith
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