Finally, I can say that resorts in the West even the Sierra who has received great snow in the past 2 weeks are in good shape (Lets just say what one might see in late December base wise), and the Northwest who sits near average currently is going to get hammered with a good 12-15 inch cold storm Friday night!  Wolf Creek in Colorado saw 4 days of continuous snowfall with totals near 3 feet since Sunday and Steamboat picked up nearly a foot of snow from a system that was centered over Arizona! 

The Epic alert is for a narrow window of fluff for the Northwest Friday night and Saturday (Snow level around 500 feet). Saturday morning turns will be epic there favoring resorts further North like Mount Baker however Southern and Central zones will see at least a foot of fresh by Saturday afternoon.    Sun Valley should see powder mid Saturday through Sunday as well as Jackson Hole however Wyoming amounts will be less as most of the energy will be dropping South through the Wasatch and Central Colorado.  

Rockies:  The long range models are a flip flopping on the path of this next storm however at this point it is reasonable to say the Wasatch will see light snow Saturday night turning moderate by 11AM Sunday with a strong cold front that will continue through Monday morning (9-15 inch storm totals in the Cottonwoods).  Snow will break out in Colorado Sunday however the models want to take good Northwest Flow thorough the 4 corners which could spell well for Telluride (Does very well with Northwest winds and cold air combined) and perhaps resorts further North like Aspen.  The low pressure eventually kicks back North through I-70 so snow in the Vail Valley, Summit County and points North will intensify by Monday morning making resorts deeper during the day and most likely continuing into the evening. The chase in Colorado will include Monday/Tuesday however resort picks will be tough? My guess is Telluride or Aspen during the day Monday, Vail Monday afternoon, and again Tuesday as well as Summit Resorts, Winter Park and Eldora.  The Wasatch of UT should be good late Sunday (Refill day) and again Monday morning.    Colorado snow totals will be decent and my best guess for the highest amounts would be Aspen, Telluride, and Vail.    DAILY UPDATES are posted by 8am so please check back and use Powder Buzz to post your predicitons, snowfall amounts, or anything else you want to throw at us! 

Extended:  Moisture will continue in the Northwest early next week with higher snow levels  and moderate to heavy snow possible for the Northern Idao, Montana and Yellowstone National Park.  Light snow likely in the Tetons mid week however the long range models show  moisture dropping South into the Tetons and directly through Northern and Central Colorado by the following weekend (February 25th).  The Northwest, especially BC Canada stays favorable for moderate to heavy snow especially further North towards the end of February into the 1st week of March. 

After an extended period of snowfall in the 4 corners (30 Plus inches at Wolf Creek), and a sneak up powder day at Steamboat yesterday (6-10 inches), snow is finally winding down over Colorado however the Southern Mountains are still seeing light snowfall as well as Vail Pass (3 inches overnight).   Many resorts along I-70 received 2-4 inches last night.

The Pacific Northwest gets very active in the next 7 days and I especially like a cold front sagging down over the Cascades Friday night into Saturday morning (7-11 inches likely with snow levels in the 2,000 foot range).   That storm splits some, and converges over central Utah with snow likely Statewide after midnight Saturday with the Wasatch seeing moderate powder by mid Sunday into Sunday night (6-11).  The Tetons will see 4-8 inches Saturday night into Sunday.  Best Chase days will be Sunday mid day to Monday AM.

Colorado will see moderate snow linger Statewide with the Northern Mountains favored (Especially the Vail Valley) from Sunday late AM to Tuesday morning.  I think both Monday and Tuesday will be powder days!   Most resorts will see decent snow amounts!

At this point even with the split low, amounts seem to be in the powder alert range so stay tuned as I will issue one in the next 24-36 hours to verify the long term models.   Hope you had the freshies in the 4 corners or Steamboat yesterday!  Silverton opens tomorrow  for guided skiing through Sunday.

TODAY AT SNOWBIRD!

Heavy snow broke out today over the  Southern Wasatch and winning storm totals of over 15 inches were reported at Deer Valley Ski Area in just an 8 hour period today!  Snowbird, Alta, and the Canyons all picked up approx 11 inches.  Wolf Creek in Colorado according to Avalanche Data is at about 10 inches as of 6PM and still snowing heavily!    Areas further North in Utah like Snowbasin did not receive any snow!

Snow will taper off in UT, while Colorado will see an increase of moisture especially over the Central Mountains tonight with my guestimate at 7-9 inches in Aspen, 4-7 in Vail, and 3-5 in Steamboat by tomorrow morning. It looks like Summit county will see 2-5 inches especially at the highest elevations!  Snow will continue into Monday morning with some light accumulations during the day until approx Noon.  The next storm is moving in Monday/Tuesday (See below)

POWDER ALERT-

Sierra: Moderate snow will break out tonight and Monday with 7-12 inches over 7000 feet at many resorts by late afternoon. Lower elevations will only see 4-7 inches.  Another storm will impact the Truckee area on Saturday/Sunday with light to moderate amounts.

Rockies  Snow will end mid Monday morning at most resorts in Colorado as storm #2 impacts the Wasatch of Utah beginning late Monday night or early Tuesday morning . Right now this system seems to dig South so my conservative estimates for Deer Valley, Snowbird, Solitude, Brigton and Alta are 8 inches by 4PM Tuesday. If the low moves any further North amounts will be in the 8-11 inch range. A secondary low drops in from the North on Wednesday evening (Another 3-6).

Colorado will see snow begin Tuesday morning in the 4 corners which should continue through Wednesday morning. Amounts appear to be in the 7-10 inch range over the New Mexico border (Taos, Wolf Creek, Durango,) and most resorts to the North will lighter amounts primarily late Wednesday.  Silverton might be a good bet for Thursday morning (Guided skiing only).

EXTENDED POW

GOOD NEWS!  The long range models are advertising a decent fetch of moisture coming into the Northwest next weekend and migrating into the Northern Rockies (Tetons, Wasatch, Northern Colorado) next Sunday/Monday/Tuesday with a another system for Montana, Wyoming and Northern Colorado for February 23/24.

DAILY updates are only found on the website!  Please post your weather, amounts, forecasts, or whatever Powder Buzz you have for us.   Your reports are essential

The powder alert is for an extended period of 3 systems moving into the Rockies beginning tonight up North (Montana, Wyoming, Northern Colorado)  however the deepest periods will come into the San Juans and sections of the Central Mountains  both Sunday during the day and evening and again on Tuesday/Wednesday.  The sum total of the 2 San Juan systems should be in the 15-20 inch range with 2 potential powder days (Sunday) and again on Tuesday or Wednesday. 

Friday- Friday night :   Light snows will continue into the Northern Montana Mountains (Snowing lightly currently over Big Sky) and extend down into Yellowstone later this morning.  Moderate snow likely over Steamboat tonight (4-7) as well as 3-7 inches possible near Vail (Most snow will be North of I-70). 

Saturday- Light to moderate powder day at Colorado’s Northern most resorts (Steamboat favored).   expect 4-7 inches at opening and perhaps decent amounts as far South as Vail or Copper!

Sunday- Light snow over the San Juans turns heavy by mid morning and continues into Sunday night (3-7 during the day and another 3-7 for Monday AM).  Silverton, Wolf Creek, and Crested Butte favored) Some resorts as far North as Aspen will also see some light to moderate freshies however Crested Butte and South will do better.  Monday might be the better powder day or late Sunday?

Sunday night- Monday- The Sierra finally sees a nice dosing of freshies in the 5-9 inch range South of I-80 especially during the day Monday and early evening.

Monday night-Tuesday- Snow begins over the Wasatch.  The NWS is not forecasting much however I have a gut that tells me amounts will be in the 4-9 inch range there by Tuesday morning.  Snow will begin over the San Juans of Colorado and Southern Utah after midnight Monday and continue through Tuesday evening.   Snow will extend up through Crested Butte, Aspen and eventually lighter amounts along I-70 on Wednesday.   Amounts will build up nicely during the day Tuesday and continue though Wednesday morning (Turning lighter by Wednesday evening ).  Storm totals could be in the 12-18 range through the period.   Perhaps Silverton would be a good call on Thursday?

Daily updates will be posted on the homepage so please check back and post your powder reports and questions!  We need the support of everyone that chases POW.

Powderchaser Steve

The snow news all revolves around Denver where local ski areas close to the front range (Eldora, Echo) received 3-5 feet last Thursday/Friday  (Echo Mountain just outside Evergreen received 55 inches) however today’s news snuck up on me!  15 inches at Wolf Creek and 8 inches at Purgatory reported this morning and still snowing about an inch per hour!  Snow will continue through this evening over the Southern and Central Colorado Mountains with perhaps another 4-6 inches during the day.   Hopefully someone is in chase range to grab those freshies!

The Northwest which has been dry will turn wetter as this  weekend approaches and even wetter the following week.  The models are hinting at a pattern change for the Rockies beginning next week especially over the Cascades, Northern Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.  Colorado might start to see some decent snow towards the end of next week or earlier where a series of systems approach from the North.  This week will only bring a chance of light snows to the Rockies and many areas will stay dry until things start to pick up next week.

Powderchaser Steve