Snowfall Report:
We were expecting 1-4 inches of wet snow up top over the weekend with rain for the lower mountain. We picked up 1 inch of wet snow Saturday, and less than an inch up top Sunday night from the mild systems that moved through. We are looking forward to a colder storm on Tuesday!
Monday Weather:
We have a break between storms on Monday. Partly sunny skies are expected with lighter winds. Highs in the 30s for the higher elevations and 40s for the lower elevations.
Christmas Eve Snow:
The next storm is colder and fast-moving. We should see snow push in between 5-8 AM on Tuesday, with a period of heavier snow during the day, and snow showers during the afternoon that taper off and clear out during the evening.
Highs in the 30s. Strong winds Tuesday morning that come down through the day. Ridgetop gusts up to 50-70+ mph as the ski area opens which could cause some lift delays, then falling to 30-50+ mph from the west by afternoon.
The snow levels are high as the front approaches. They could start up around 6500-7000 ft. as precipitation initially begins to fall but should fall to the base pretty quickly during the morning. By Tuesday night we could see totals of around 3-6 inches at the base, 5-9 inches near mid-mountain, and 6-11 inches up top.
Christmas Day:
We are expecting a beautiful day with a little powder morning for any snow that fell after the mountain closed or is still untouched. Highs only in the 30s with light winds and mostly sunny skies.
Thursday Storm(s):
The storms are going to be moving through very fast Thursday through Sunday, with little break between them. The first barely brushes us on the southern edge early Thursday morning before sunrise into the later morning hours with some light snow possible. We may only see a dusting up to 2 inches of snow with the first system.
We could see a break on Thursday afternoon. Then the next storm is trending a little farther south with a better chance for some steadier showers Thursday night into early Friday morning. This is another fast-hitting storm that should taper off Friday morning. Highs in the 30s for Thursday. Ridgetop winds gusting from the SW up to 40-60+ mph.
The snow levels start low early Thursday morning and rise through the day. They should stay near the base until the snow clears out later Thursday morning, then rise higher. They drop again as the next system moves in, down near the base Thursday evening, but rise overnight to around 7000-7500 ft. into Friday morning.
That could mean some snow for lake level that turns to rain Thursday night. That will also keep the snow wetter/thicker up on the mountain. By Friday morning we could see around 2-5 inches of new snow near the base which is likely less with some rain on top, 4-8 inches near mid-mountain, and 5-10 inches up top.
Friday – Sunday Storms:
The fast-moving systems continue through the weekend. We look to catch the southern edge of more systems Friday night and Saturday. Then a final system on Sunday could dig a cold front through later in the day, with a final round of some heavier precipitation possible.
Friday through Sunday should be windy. Ridgetop winds gusting up to 50-70+ mph Friday and Saturday, and then up to 70-90+ mph on Sunday from the southwest. That could bring some upper mountain lift closures over the weekend. Highs in the 30s on the mountain to near 40 degrees down at the base.
Friday we could see a break in the showers during the afternoon then rain and high elevations snow showers are possible Friday night into Sunday before a shot of snow is possible at the end. Snow levels look pretty high through Sunday morning, up above 7500-8000 ft. possibly through most of the weekend, then crashing to the base at the end with the front later Sunday.
We’ll have more details on potential rain and snowfall amounts over the next few days…
Long-Range Forecast:
We could see a drier pattern starting next Monday the 30th. By New Year’s Eve high pressure is still forecast to build in near the West Coast. The trend is a bit off the coast with the center, which is still blocking storms but could allow some colder air into the West.
By the 4th-5th most of the long-range models are showing the ridge retrograding a bit with the mean position up near Alaska. That would help to drive colder air into the West. There is still high pressure near the coast blocking the wetter Pacific storms, and below-average precipitation is expected into the first week of January.
Cold fronts from the north are possible that could bring in some snow showers with each and colder temperatures. If the ridge off the coast backs up slightly and a low-pressure center drops south along the coast, it could tap into Pacific moisture and create what I like to call a “powder machine”. But if they track down from the north which is more common in this pattern, we just get light snow.
BA
