US and Canada Daily Snow
By Alan Smith, Meteorologist Posted 16 days ago December 6, 2024
Snow Returns to the West, Canada Favored for Deepest Totals
Summary
The West will finally see a storm this weekend following an extended dry spell. The storm will favor the interior of Canada for the highest totals, while the Washington Cascades and BC Coast Range will start as rain before changing to snow. Lighter snow will fall in the U.S. Rockies. New England will see more snow this weekend with a combination of rain, snow, and mixed precipitation next week.
Short Term Forecast
Helpful Links:
New England Snow:
Northern New England has been the favored spot for snow over the past week with Jay Peak picking up 38 inches of snow in 5 days and 47 inches in 7 days (as of December 5th).
Check out the scene from earlier this week:
5-Day Snow Forecast:
A storm will impact the West over the weekend with heavy snow for interior resorts in Canada such as Revelstoke and Kicking Horse. Coastal ski resorts from Whistler to Stevens Pass to Hood will start out as rain or a mix with a transition to snow by Saturday.
More details from our local experts:
The storm will weaken as it tracks further south into the Rockies, with some decent snow totals across Northern Idaho and Montana and light snow for Colorado. Utah will only be brushed with some very light snow showers.
Forecast for Fri (Dec 6) to Sat (Dec 7):
Snow will develop over the Northwest and Northern Rockies with precipitation starting out as rain in the Cascades and BC Coast Range, before changing over to snow on Saturday. Another storm in the Northeast will bring snow to the Northern Great Lakes and New England. In the far north, Alaska will see a mix of snow and rain with snow levels lowering on Saturday.
Forecast for Sun (Dec 8) to Mon (Dec 9):
The Western storm will become weaker and less organized as it tracks southward with light to moderate snow continuing across the Northwest and Northern Rockies. Light snow will also develop over Colorado. In the far north, another storm will bring heavy wet snow to the coastal ranges of Alaska.
In the East, another storm will arrive but so will a push of warmer air. This will result in a mix of snow, rain, and possibly some ice with low confidence in the details.
Forecast for Tue (Dec 10) to Wed (Dec 11):
Most of the West will see a break in the pattern mid-week, though some lingering flurries are possible over the Central Rockies on Tuesday. A strong (but warm) storm will impact Alaska and Northwest BC with a mix of snow and rain expected at ski areas.
In the East, a storm is also possible around this time with a mixed bag of precipitation expected.
Extended Forecast
Outlook for Thu (Dec 12) to Mon (Dec 16):
A trough is expected to develop just off the West Coast during this period with the storm track favoring the Northwest and Northern Rockies. The storm track could potentially dip far enough south for the Sierra and the Central Rockies to get in on the action at times.
This doesn't necessarily look like a deep pattern with consistent strong storms in the West, but at the very least, it looks more active compared to the past couple of weeks. There is still considerable uncertainty in the details so stay tuned...
In the East, snow is possible early in this period, then we may see a stretch of relatively quiet weather with fewer precipitation chances along with an eventual warming trend.
Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Monday (December 9).
Alan Smith
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