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By Sam Collentine, Meteorologist Posted 9 years ago April 17, 2014

Weather for the weekend - April 18 to April 20, 2014

Spring skiing. That will be the headline this weekend as fresh snow will be hard to come by for the vast majority of the United States. Two systems will push through the northern Cascades and northern Rockies but accumulations will not be significant. A slow moving storm will make it's way across the Southwest on Friday giving the San Juans of southern Colorado a good chance for snow Friday night through Saturday morning. The Upper Midwest and New England will see another shot for light snow Saturday and into Sunday but accumulations will be not be anything to get excited about. Spring conditions are great from coast-to-coast so get out and take advantage of the remaining open ski areas!

 

Total accumulated snowfall, according to the American GFS, through Sunday. Source: WeatherBell.com

The far northern areas of the Washington Cascades will be the place to be to find fresh snow on Friday morning as the first of two systems make their way across the region. This weekend is closing weekend for Mt. Baker in northern Washington and it will be the area to head too for fresh turns in the Pacific Northwest. Another system will make it's way across the region on Saturday night providing another blanket of light to moderate snow for the highly elevated areas. As for the rest of the Western US, Idaho, western Montana, Utah, and Wyoming will see a chance for snow throughout the day and into the night on Friday but accumulations will amount to trace to two inches at best. Colorado will be the next best place outside of northern Washington to receive decent totals through the weekend as a weak, but moisture heavy system moves in from the Southwest. Friday will be warm and dry before snow showers persist throughout the rest of the weekend. Southern Colorado will be favored with the heaviest snow likely to fall during the daylight hours on Saturday and Sunday. Elevated snow levels can be expected as this system looks to be on the warmer side. Joel will breakdown all the details every morning in The Colorado Daily Snow

The temperature anomaly, or the departure from the long-term average, as of Saturday afternoon. Source: WeatherBell.com

Even though most ski areas are closed for the season, the Upper Midwest will still see continued chances for snow on Saturday and into Sunday. This will be not a big snowmaker but it will add to the numerous areas that received over a foot on Wednesday. A warming trend is in the works for next week so enjoy the winter wonderland while you still can. The highly elevated areas of northern New England will see a tiny chance for snow on Saturday but it is highly unlikely. Barring a very cold late-season storm, chances for snow across New England will be become very slim as we head deeper into spring. 

When you're up on the hill this weekend post pictures and updates using "LiveSnow", one of the features of our FREE iPhone and Android app.

Always check our Powder Finder and the forecasts for each mountain throughout the weekend for more details.

Sam Collentine | OpenSnow

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About The Author

Sam Collentine

Meteorologist

Sam Collentine is the Chief Operating Officer of OpenSnow and lives in Basalt, Colorado. Before joining OpenSnow, he studied Atmospheric Science at the University of Colorado, spent time at Channel 7 News in Denver, and at the National Weather Service in Boulder.

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