The next 5 days is something to get excited about as Halloween sun will quickly turn to snow over the Cascades and Rockies  where several storms will impact the area in the long range models.   The first system races into Northern Utah this Tuesday night and into Colorado by sunrise Wednesday with lots of cold air with a quick hitter of 6-9 inches at higher elevations across a large portion of the forecast area  I call these dry cold fronts that create a quick 3-6 hour window for rapid Orographic snowfall. The next and stronger system moves into the Cascades on Thursday (4-8 inches) and into Utah and Colorado by Friday night (8-11 inches). The most snow will linger into Central and Northern Colorado this Saturday where areas along I-70 including Aspen, Vail, Steamboat and Summit County should see 4-7 inches by 3pm (Saturday).  The extended models show a continued period of unsettled weather over the Northwest (Some rain, snow mix) early next week with the long range models showing decent moisture coming directly over the Sierra by November 9th (Next Wednesday) and into Utah and Colorado next Friday/Saturday (November 11th and 12th).   I declare winter in full swing as things remain active for the first 1/2 of November! The Chase Cars are ready! Please start using “Powder Buzz” on the website to make any comments, observations, or powder news! You will have to create a password and login from the homepage.

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An unusually early Northeaster will bring much colder temperatures and a good swath of early snow to primarily central and southern New England beginning Saturday and ending by Sunday night in the northern portions of the forecast area.  This storm will primarily be good for areas such as Mount Snow, Gunstuck, Killington, Western Berkshires, and upstate New York with a more grazing affect further north such as Stowe or Sugarbush. Our predicitons are for approx 8-10 inches of wet snow (Great for an early season base) to fall by late Sunday afternoon in most of those areas. High pressure returns after that but this is  great start for the East especially when Powderchasers is usually talking about the West at this time of year. Stay tuned for more details! 

Powderchaser

Powder Alerts will be issued 3-7 days in advance of epic days of 6 inches or more so please stay tuned for the next alert.  The Colorado Alert that was broadcasted last week is no longer in effect. There is a good chance of snow redeveloping over the West late this weekend or early next week.  Please keep and eye on the forecast tab above for the 7-10 Powder Outlook!  You must be signed up to recieve the free powder alerts on your email automatically.

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Guru of the powder addiction.

Fast moving storm now over the Tetons is slowly moving towards Northern Colorado and will be dumping 4-7 inches primarily over 9,000 feet towards Monday morning. Areas favored by Northwest Flow will do best such as Vail (Higher elevations) however the upper terrain around Aspen might pick up a good shot of snow as the cold air arrives on Monday.   Currently it is raining over most of the mid and lower terrain near Jackson as well as Craig, and Meeker Colorado where the temperatures are still in the 50′s in many areas. Cold air aloft will change things over to snow on Monday morning over central and Northern Colorado.  This alert is only in effect for Colorado at this time and on the low end of the advisory amounts!

Powderchaser  9:39 PM 10/16/11

Excitement begins as snow is over Tahoe above 7,000 feet as well as the Wasatch where 7-14 inches will bless the slopes with thier first snowfall of the season! This system just puts the buzz in the air for winter, face shots, the chase, epicness, and everything we live for! The good news is that La Nina seems to be the focus for the 2011/2012 season which will favor the Northern Mountains of the Northwest. Rockies, and Sierra. The pattern is similar to last season with a trend on the weaker side. Weaker La Nina does not always equal less snow but more of the general pattern and where storms will set up. I predict very heavy dumps in the Cascades, Wasatch, Northern Colorado, and Wyoming as well as the Sierra that often gets clipped as they dig south from the Northwest! We might not hit the records like last year however I will be optomistic for a great season ahead.

The storm moving into the West tonight through Saturday will favor the Southern mountains of Colorado (Wolf Creek, Silverton dumpage), Southern Wasatch, and the Central Sierra. Expect over a foot of new snow by Saturday afternoon as 2 pieces of energy bless the mountains primarily at the higher elevations. This would be a great time to grab the snowshoes, winter clothes and get in the powder mood! Enjoy the pre season buzz and stay tuned for more updates as the winter is upon us!

Powderchaser Steve