Another Dry & Mild Week Ahead:
We have another sunny and mild week ahead, but not quite as mild as last week, as high pressure over the West is weaker and a bit flatter.
We will have gusty winds on Monday with ridgetop winds from the west gusting up to 50-60+ mph. Then lighter the rest of the week. Mostly sunny days into the weekend. Highs in the 60s for the lowest elevations, 50s for mid-mountain elevations, and 40s for the highest elevations.
Pattern Change Next Week:
The pattern starts to change by next Monday, the 30th, as the high-pressure over the West weakens and shifts east, and a trough begins to dig in near the West Coast. By the middle of next week, a fairly deep trough could be over the region.
That should at least bring in colder air for next week. Highs dropping into the 50s for the lower elevations by Monday and 40s for the upper mountain. Then even colder by midweek, especially if a bigger storm develops and moves through the region.
The latest operational model runs show a chance for a storm or two between the 31st – 3rd, with some showing a decent amount of precipitation falling during the period. The snow levels are forecast to drop to around 7000 ft. if we see a storm on Tuesday, and possibly below the base if we see colder storms around the middle of next week.
We’ll continue to watch the trends on the colder and possibly stormy pattern for next week. We could see measurable snowfall as well as colder temperatures, which is nice to see after a month of dry and mild weather.
Long-Range Outlook:
Beyond the 3rd, the long-range models are suggesting that high pressure could start to build in off the West coast. Not a warm pattern, but one that could keep storms to our north as we go into the 1st weekend in April.
It’s possible that shifts during the 2nd week of April will bring more unsettled weather. But that is too far out to predict as we transition to spring, and the jet stream will continue to weaken and shift north in April. The average snowfall for April drops in half after being around 6 feet near 7k’ Dec – Mar.
BA
