Wednesday:
For Wednesday we should see clouds & sun with increasing clouds later in the day as the next system approaches. Winds increasing again in the afternoon from the southwest with ridgetop gusts to 60+ mph by evening.
Wednesday Night Snow:
A weak system will move in Wednesday night around 8-10 PM and will clear out Thursday morning around sunrise. Expecting low snow levels and snow ratios of up to 16:1 up top with a drier snow. We could see 1-3 inches of new snow at the base and 2-5 inches on the mountain by Thursday morning.
Thursday – Friday:
Clearing through the day on Thursday with mostly sunny skies expected by late morning. Highs in the 30s at the base and 20s up top. Winds coming down some during the day on Thursday but could still be gusting from the north up to 40+ mph. Friday we should start the day with mostly sunny skies and then high clouds could start streaming in later in the day. Highs in the 30s on the mountain with lighter winds expected.
Weekend Storm:
The next storm takes aim at the Pacific NW on Saturday. We may be on the southern edge of moisture streaming into off the Pacific. We will have to watch how far south that stream pushes as it is fairly stationary during the day. We could see just clouds, or we could see very light snow showers with 1-2 inches of snow on Saturday. Snow levels could rise to 6500-7000 ft. by Saturday afternoon with rain at the base.
Saturday night into Sunday the trough digs south into CA pushing heavier precipitation into the northern Sierra. There are big discrepancies on how much moisture this front holds onto as it shifts south through CA. Snow levels could fluctuate between the base & 7k. Southwest winds gusting to 30-40+ mph Sat-Sun.
Some models show only up to 2 inches of additional snowfall while others show up to 18 inches. For now, we will go with 1-4 inches at the base and 6-11 inches above 7000 ft., and we will continue to fine-tune that as we get closer and hopefully get more clarity.
Next Week:
3 Stronger storms are lined up to move into CA next week. The first could move in as early as before sunrise Monday lasting into Monday evening. The 2nd could move in by Tuesday afternoon and last into Wednesday night. The 3rd could move in next Friday.
Each of these systems could have high winds, fluctuating snow levels, and heavy snow. We could be measuring the snow in feet through the week on the mountain. Lots more details on each storm as we get closer.
Long-Range:
We may see a drier pattern start to build in around the 9th.
BA
