[Forecast courtesy of Powderchasers]
SUMMARY:
Southern Utah has been the big winner so far. The snotel at Eagle Point was up to 12″ yesterday afternoon, and we have reports of over 20″ this morning at Brian Head.
We were up in Big Cottonwood Canyon yesterday where ~6″ of snow had fallen. There was some great snowliage and my dog, Noodle had an amazing time. A few more inches fell last night into this morning as well.
Another short wave trough is going to swing through the NW starting on Tuesday, bringing with it another round of moderate to heavy snow over a large area.
This trough will slide through and bring more snow to Alberta, British Columbia, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. You read that correctly, more snow for all of those areas. Upper elevations in western Washington should see some minor snow accumulations too.
Alberta/British Columbia:
Light to moderate snow will be falling in SW Alberta and interior BC from Monday night to Wednesday. Another 3-6″ is expected for interior BC and resorts like Nakiska, Sunshine Village, Norquay and Lake Louise.
Montana:
Snow will start Tuesday in Montana, and continue through Wednesday possibly Thursday in SW Montana. There airmass is a little colder this time, so snow levels will be around 4k to start in NW Montana and may lower below 3k by the end of the event. In SW Montana snow levels will start around 6k and lower to 4k, possibly lower, by the end of the event. There isn’t a ton of moisture with this storm but expect a general 2-4″ in most mountains ranges with isolated pockets of 4-8″ in favored high elevation spots.
Idaho
Central Idaho will get in on the action early in the week as well. From Tuesday to Wednesday, snow levels will be around 6k and light to moderate snow will be falling. Generally, expect 4-8″ with isolated higher mounts at upper elevations. Winds aren’t great for Sun Valley but flakes should be flying there. Nothing major but good to see some snow in this region.
Wyoming
The Tetons should get a decent snowfall for this event. Snow will start around Tuesday night and may be heavy at times. While it won’t be snowing heavily during this entire period, the combination of the length of the event, which will last until Thursday, should yield decent totals. Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee should wind up with 4-8″ possibly higher at the summit of Jackson Hole, as winds will be initially out of the SE then SW, which favors JHMR. Snow could reach the valley floor in Jackson, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some Winter Weather Advisories and even Warnings for this area!! Another storm, another area getting some good snow.
Utah
It was so nice to see The Cottonwoods blanketed in white from two small storms over the past week. Snow depths reached 10″ above 9500 feet earlier today. Tuesday night a cold front will come through Utah. Snow levels will be similar to today’s event or perhaps a little lower. Winds will start out SW before the front, as usual, and shift to WNW after. A good recipe for snow in BCC and LCC. The models don’t quite agree on how far south the trough will get, but both the Cottonwoods and the mountains of Northern Utah should see moderate to heavy snow. Initial thoughts are 4-10″ by Thursday in the Cottonwoods (Brighton, Solitude, Snowbird, and Alta) and similar amounts for Beaver Mountain, with the possibility of even a lot more if the storm tracks right. The heaviest snow will likely be early Wednesday morning. Again, we’re not thrilled about the potential for this October snow to result in a long term Wasatch weak layer, so we’ll have to hope for no prolonged dry periods in the next month or so.
Colorado
For Colorado, we will focus on the period from Wednesday to Friday. There will be the possibility of snow tomorrow and Tuesday, so there may not be a noticeable break in the action. However moisture from the aforementioned shortwave trough will affect Colorado starting Wednesday, and will focus more on the Northern mountains than the current storm. Temperatures will start out cooler with this storm but unfortunately will rise on Thursday. Winds will be out of the West and Southwest for the most part, and I would expect around 4-8″ for most of the Northern Colorado resorts.
Long Range:
Another weak disturbance could glance the northeastern front of the Rockies later in the week but then we will dry out, and begin to warm. Right now its looking like the Ridge that will build into the West, as seen in the image below, providing warm/dry weather, will last for the foreseeable future. The warmer color show higher heights aka high pressure, the opposite of what we need for more storms. The good thing about the long range though is that it is less certain, and more likely to change.
Enjoy the snow everyone!
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