The East Is Stealing the Show
While the West nurses modest early-season dumps, the big news is blasting out of Vermont. Powderchasers.com reports that Jay Peak in northern Vermont has seen 89 inches of snow in the past week and is “racing towards 100 inches YTD totals before December.” That’s right – the northern Vermont mountains have already “exceeded all snow totals in the west.” Jay Peak is on pace for one of its snowiest Novembers ever, leaving iconic Western resorts in the dust.
Recent West Coast Recap
Out West, a juicy atmospheric river soaked California last week. The southern Sierra crushed it: Mammoth Mountain’s Main Lodge picked up 13-18 inches, with the summit likely seeing 2-3 feet. Kirkwood scored over a foot, Palisades Tahoe 8 inches, and surprise desert winner Lee Canyon (just an hour from Las Vegas) nabbed 13 inches. Tahoe resorts generally saw 6-14 inches – solid, but nothing compared to Vermont’s onslaught.
Other notables:
- Snowbasin: 6-8″
- Wolf Creek: 7″
- Brian Head: 6-8″
- Arizona Snowbowl: 3″
Mammoth looked legitimately deep in photos, and Kirkwood’s base finally screamed “winter.”
Powder Alert: 4-Corners Storm Incoming
Lingering moisture teases Tahoe and Mammoth with a few more inches Tuesday, but the real action slides southeast late Wednesday into Friday. Powderchasers has issued a Powder Alert for the 4-Corners region – southern Utah, northern Arizona, the San Juans of Colorado, and wildcard New Mexico.
Models show healthy precipitation totals through November 21, favoring Brian Head (UT), Arizona Snowbowl, Telluride, Wolf Creek, and possibly the southern San Juans with 5-11+ inches. The NAM is bullish on double-digits for Telluride/Wolf Creek and even some upslope surprise for the Front Range foothills. GFS/Euro are more conservative (4-7″ San Juans), but Arizona and southern Utah look locked in either way. Central/northern Rockies largely miss out.
Extended Outlook
Longer-range models turn the faucet back toward the PNW and Canada late week into early next week. High-elevation resorts could see several feet above 5,000 ft by November 25, though rain threatens lower bases until colder air arrives around the 24th.
Bottom line: Chase Vermont if you want absurd early-season totals. For West Coast powder hounds, pack the car for the 4-Corners this weekend – the desert and southern Rockies are about to get buried while the East keeps laughing.