Quick update from the powder chase! Moisture is increasing in the Cascades after 15 inches of fresh at Crystal Mountain this morning. Another 5 to 9 inches should fall by midnight. The Tetons as well as central Idaho will see another 7 to 9 inches late tonight into Saturday. Snow will taper off late Saturday morning in all areas. The snow tonight will be much colder and drier than the previous 3 days
Monthly Archives: December 2011
December 28, 2011 - 8:14 am Powder Alert
POWDER ALERT- 20-30 inches expected over Idaho and Wyoming by Saturday!
The Northwest stays very wet this week with rain at lower elevations and moderate snow at upper elevations above 5,000 feet. Crystal Mountain had heavy rain at the base this morning according to automated weather sites and Mount Baker there appears to be 8 inches of wet snow at mid mountain. Snow and rain will continue this week with dropping snow levels by Saturday bringing a good chance of some lighter density snow worth the chase there by the weekend (Another 5-9 inches).
ROCKIES POWDER ALERT: Light snow is already falling in the Tetons this morning at the Idaho/Wyoming border with automated sites reporting 2- 3 inches at upper elevations of Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee. Temps are warming considerably where It is currently 29 degrees at the base of Jackson Hole. Heavy snow will move into the Sawtooths (Sun Valley) late this morning through tonight with up to 15 inches expected at upper elevations of Sun Valley Ski Resort by Thursday. Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee and Yosemite National Park will see the heaviest snow from 8PM tonight through 1PM Thursday with 11-15 inches of dense snow and moderate to strong ridgetop winds from the West/Southwest. Tram operations could have brief delays! Thursday will be a wet storm ski day!
Snow will lighten late Thursday with the next round of heavy snow coming on Friday/Saturday with temperatures dropping and what appears to be another 9-11 inches for 1st tracks on Saturday morning of medium density snow at both Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Both will be great picks however with the higher elevations at Grand Targhee snow density might edge a bit lighter?
Long Term: Light snows expected over New England Resorts this weekend with a good chance of slightly higher amounts on Monday/Tuesday next week. The Rockies fall under high pressure early next week and unfortunately in the long term the zonal pattern does not look great for the central Rockies and Sierra. The models show another Southern Storm late next week into the 4 corners that could affect Central and Southern Colorado.
The Chase is on for Wyoming and Idaho so please post your conditions under Powder Buzz on the website!
Powderchaser Steve
December 28, 2011 - 6:51 amPowderchaser logs 78 inches of fresh snow YTD
The Chase last week included Eldora Ski Area near Boulder Colorado where I logged my 5th powder day for the year and a respectable 78 inches of powder Year To Date
December 26, 2011 - 3:45 am Powder Alert
Powder Alert- WA, ID, MT, WY- Heavy snows expected in the next 7 days!
The pattern has finally shifted from a record dry December for the Northwest to what appears to be a very wet pattern for the Northern Cascades, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming this week especially Wednesday-Saturday!
POWDER SYNOPSIS
The Cascades have seen 4-8 in the past 12 hours which will give way to heavier snow by Tuesday morning (5-9) and again on Wednesday/Thursday (5-11). As opposed to our pattern in late November/December the flow stays pretty much West to East which will bring abundant moisture to the higher elevations of the Tetons, Bittteroots, and most areas in the Northern Rockies. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and Grant Targhee stand a good chance of 1-2 feet of moderate to heavy density powder by this upcoming weekend! My powder picks there would be on Wednesday and again on Saturday! Remember that those areas still have limited terrain at this time so the chase decision might be based on newly opened steeps. The Northwest will continue to do well especially with consistent bases from heavy November snows and another 8-15 inches this week.
The Wasatch of Utah will be on the southern edge of these systems and will most likely see light snows midweek (2-4- Wednesday and again next weekend). In Colorado most of the energy will stay North of the Wyoming border however a good chance exists for light snows (Occasional 2-4 inch events) from I-70 North especially over Steamboat and the Gore Range by midweek. The long term patterns drop the systems further South over the Sierra and Central Rockies beginning January 4th as moisture continues to stream into the Northwest. This may spell better for Utah’s Wasatch, Sierra, and , I-70 corridor of Colorado where snow has been lacking the most!
I hope eveyone enjoyed the Holidays and travel safe this week in Snow Country!
Powderchaser Steve
December 22, 2011 - 5:27 pm10 DAY POWDER FORECAST
Today at Eldora with 14 fresh for the large tribe of powderchasers that were lucky for 1st chair in Corona Bowl! Here is Powderchaser Steve in action!
Weather Synopsis:
Northwest: After one of the driest Decembers on record the Northwest is returning to a more zonal flow as light moisture this weekend turns moderate to heavy by Wednesday and continues almost every 24-48 hours with even a larger system due in just before New Years. The pattern looks promising for the next several weeks! I will be issuing a powder alert most likely by early next week for the mid and late week storms! Snow levels should be around 2500 to 3000 feet. The Chase might be Crystal, Stevens, Baker, or Canada!
Rockies: December has been a month for heavy storms on the edges in spots like Eldora, Wolf Creek, Silverton, receiving excellent snow this month with everyone in the middle including the Wasatch and Tetons getting dragged into blocking ridges of high pressure. The long term outlook looks very good mid and late next week for Idaho, Wyoming (Tetons) and even better for Montana and points north. The Wasatch will eventually see more snow by mid next week and some of that will filter into Northern areas of Colorado however the models right now are showing the greatest amounts the further North you travel.
Let’s stay tuned for some Rockies Powder Alerts next week but most likely Wednesday at the earliest. The jet seams to sag further south by late next week! Temperatures next week warm to above average for higher snow levels.
Sierra: Light moisture is expected early next week with a chance of moderate precipitation by Wednesday however temperatures will warm considerably keeping snow levels very high and a better chance of moisture by the end of next week as the jet stream sags further South. (Late next week is better).
East Coast: This has been a rough December for the East however snowmaking is so good out there (Powderchaser learned to Ski at Bromley Resort), that conditions generally flow with the groomers! The long term prognosis looks better for January and my models are showing heavy moisture over the East in the New Years Day time frame. I am not certain right now on temperatures but moisture should hopefully break out in most areas around the last day of 2011. Southern areas tonight will see 2-5 inches so grab it now as your next chance is at least a week away!
PLEASE post your Powde Buzz and Video on the homepage! We will take the best videos and put them on the website under “On The Road” which depicts the best powder chase of the week.
Happy Holidays! Powderchaser Steve
December 21, 2011 - 9:40 amBoulder Powderchasers in Silverton
Here is a Video from a bunch of tribal Powderchasers from Boulder that chased a storm to Silverton after our Powder Alert!
SILVERTON MTN
December 21, 2011 - 7:27 amModerate snow returns to the Rockies and the long term outlook looks better!
Heavy snow expected in the Central portions of Montana (6-9 inches) during today through early evening migrates to Central Wyoming this afternoon just grazing the Tetons and Wasatch (3-4) and cutting right through Northern Colorado tonight. Winds will favor areas near the Wyoming border such as Steamboat for the 1st 4 hours of the storm so a quick 3-5 inches is likely there by 8 PM tonight before the Front Range of Colorado will favor areas such as Eldora, Winter Park and Loveland (5-7 inches) by Thursday morning. Other areas West of the Divide will see amounts in the 2-5 inch range as cold air and Westerly Winds initially will kick off snow showers this evening especially over the Gore Range in areas near Vail Pass. Lets call this a “Freshening” of conditions storm however areas East near the Front Range might be the winners especially Eldora and Winter Park.
New Mexico will see light snow on Thursday afternoon into Friday with another 2-5 inches at Angel Fire and 1-3 at Taos. Most of the heavy snow will be East of the continental divide.
Long Range Buzz?
Long range models continue to ramp me up for some powder chasing as the Northwest looks to get more active as we get to the December 29th timeframe with a better chance of snow for the Wasatch, Sierra, Tetons, and Northern Colorado by the end of the month (December 29th). This pattern seems to persist into the New Year with another decent storm possible just after New Years! The East Coast stays drier than normal with most of the moisture driving too far South or North of the Ski areas through January 2nd.
Please post your daily conditions, questions, and anything powder related under Powder Buzz on the homepage! We need your Powder Input and chase reports!
Powderchaser Steve
December 15, 2011 - 7:15 amHeavy Snow Hits New Mexico and finally Northern Montana,Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming see a freshening for some light to moderate powder in the next 2 days!
POWDER OUTLOOK : UPDATED DECEMBER 20th
Heavy snow blanketed Eastern New Mexico and Colorado where Angel Fire Ski Area (Northeast NM) was our powder pick of the day with 12 inches reported during the day and overnight Monday. Other resorts such as Taos (4 inches) and Wolf Creek (1 inch) were too far West and North to receive anything significant.
The next storm as predicted is coming in from the Northwest and will favor all mountain locations of Northern Montana, Idaho Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado on Wednesday/Thursday before dropping into the 4 corners late in the period. This system is essentially a moisture starved cold front that should kick off 4-6 inches in the Wasatch (Snowbird, Solitude, Alta, Park City), and similar amounts over I-70 in Colorado by Thursday morning (slightly higher amounts over Colorado). The winds go from West to North, and then Northeast which might be better for resorts closer to the Front range like Winter Park, Eldora and to some extent Loveland. Steamboat will see moderate snow late Wednesday with the initial surge of cold air! Snow will break out along and behind the front which will be over the 4 corners by early Thursday morning and linger over the Southern Mountains into Thursday afternoon (3-7).
Tuesday: Moderate snow continues over the Eastern Plains of Colorado as well as NE corner of New Mexico. Light snow for the Northwest of Washington and Oregon
Wednesday: Cold front drops into Montana, Idaho, and Northern Wyoming bringing a good blast of 3-6 inches to many ski areas by Wednesday night and higher amounts Thursday morning over Colorado- North and North East Regions including I-70 (Eldora, Winter Park, Loveland, Steamboat, Breckenridge)-4-7 inches?
Thursday Friday: Snow showers continue over Southern Colorado (Wolf Creek), New Mexico (Taos) however amounts will stay in the 3-5 inch range and much colder temperatures.
Long Range: The models depict a continued split flow with occasional light snows for the Northwest Cascades possibly turning heavier near New Years and a better chance of snow in the Northern Rockies (MT, ID, WY) as we get into 2012. Moisture seems to increase in the Northwest by the end of 2011! The models are not showing any consensus so stay tuned for updates.
Powderchaser Steve
December 13, 2011 - 7:49 am10 DAY OUTLOOK
Tuesday: Snow will pick up again in the Southern Colorado San Juan’s tonight as my chase might take off towards Wolf Creek with ticket prices only $33 bucks on Wednesday! Snow will also intensify over Silverton Mountain with my early guess at additional amounts in the 4-9 inch range for Wednesday morning. Wednesday or Thursday could be a great day there! My gut is telling me that Wolf Creek will come in slightly less in amounts than Silverton but both will recieve decent late afternoon to early Wednesday snows.
Wednesday: Snow tapers off in the San Juan’s in the early morning as Colrado’s central mountains pick up 2-5 inches during the day. The winds shift to the West helping areas like Aspen, Beaver Creek receive a quick 12 hour shot of light to moderate snow before exiting the State Wednesday night. Other areas along I-70 in Colorado will see snow Wednesday but fairly light amounts (2-5). Steamboat might reap some benefits with this pattern as well (3-5).
Thursday/Friday- Storm #2: The models are all showing different solutions but my belief is that a moderate storm will impact the Northwest Cascades 4-9 inches on Wednesday night with that storm splitting apart sending some energy to Southern CA and the Baja and another piece brushing Northern Utah, Central Nevada, and eventually Southern Utah (Brian Head could see 3-6), which unfortunately will deliver only Sub Powder Alert amounts to the Wasatch in the 2-4 inch range.
Weekend? The southern piece of energy that headed to Mexico swings back through the 4 corners of the Southwest on Sunday/Monday with a good chance of 3-7 inches by Monday morning over New Mexico, Southern Colorado, and Arizona. Most of the energy might stay further South than our current storm so don’t expect epic amounts North of the Colorado/New Mexico border. The main energy will start late Saturday night and continue into Monday Morning. Areas that are favored will be Wolf Creek, Taos, Silverton with an emphasis over New Mexico.
Long Range: Pattern continues to bring moderate storms periodically to the Northwest and keep the Rockies on the drier side until perhaps just after XMAS. I still see some hope on the horizon however it might not come until Santa has stuffed the chimney with your new skis and boards!
Best bets for XMAS? Wolf Creek, Taos, Pacific Northwest, BC, AK, Northern Rockies
Powderchaser Steve
December 13, 2011 - 7:47 am Powder Alert
10 DAY POWDER FORECAST
Current storm system has deposited very heavy snows in the Flagstaff region and generally 6-8 inches in the San Juan’s overnight of which Wolf Creek and Silverton tied for storm totals as of 6 AM (6 inches). Taos also reported around 6 inches this morning as temperatures have warmed considerably overnight creating the nasty “upside down” snow density. Avalanche danger will be very high today with the temperature changes as well as increasing snow later this afternoon and tonight.
Snow will pick up again in the Southern Colorado San Juan’s tonight as my chase might take off towards Wolf Creek with ticket prices only $33 bucks on Wednesday! Snow will also intensify over Silverton Mountain with my early guess at additional amounts in the 4-9 inch range for Wednesday morning. Wednesday or Thursday could be a great day there! My gut is telling me that Wolf Creek will come in slightly less in amounts than Silverton but both will recieve decent late afternoon to early Wednesday snows.
Wednesday: Snow tapers off in the San Juan’s in the early morning as Colrado’s central mountains pick up 2-5 inches during the day. The winds shift to the West helping areas like Aspen, Beaver Creek receive a quick 12 hour shot of light to moderate snow before exiting the State Wednesday night. Other areas along I-70 in Colorado will see snow Wednesday but fairly light amounts (2-5). Steamboat might reap some benefits with this pattern as well (3-5).
Thursday/Friday- Storm #2: The models are all showing different solutions but my belief is that a moderate storm will impact the Northwest Cascades 4-9 inches on Wednesday night with that storm splitting apart sending some energy to Southern CA and the Baja and another piece brushing Northern Utah, Central Nevada, and eventually Southern Utah (Brian Head could see 3-6), which unfortunately will deliver only Sub Powder Alert amounts to the Wasatch in the 2-4 inch range.
Weekend? The southern piece of energy that headed to Mexico swings back through the 4 corners of the Southwest on Sunday/Monday with a good chance of 3-7 inches by Monday morning over New Mexico, Southern Colorado, and Arizona. Most of the energy might stay further South than our current storm so don’t expect epic amounts North of the Colorado/New Mexico border. The main energy will start late Saturday night and continue into Monday Morning. Areas that are favored will be Wolf Creek, Taos, Silverton with an emphasis over New Mexico.
Long Range: Pattern continues to bring moderate storms periodically to the Northwest and keep the Rockies on the drier side until perhaps just after XMAS. I still see some hope on the horizon however it might not come until Santa has stuffed the chimney with your new skis and boards! If you really demand the DEEP head up to Alyeska Alaska where they just picked up 55 inches in the past 2 days!
Powderchaser Steve
