It's Sunday afternoon, and our original forecast hit the mark with 20-28 inches being reported at the few Sierra resorts that are still open. Kirkwood reported 27 inches in 48 hours. Mammoth and Palisades have 14-24 new, with Mammoth reporting similar totals. Powderchaser Steve chased from Utah to Kirkwood for Sunday morning freshies. More snow is on the way for the Sierra on Sunday afternoon with storm #2
Below: Overnight powder at Kirkwood Mountain Resort on Sunday morning. Photo: @powderchasersteve via Instagram
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Storm #2- Sunday/Monday- Sierra Powder Alert #2.
While the snow in the Sierra tapered on Sunday morning, a new wave is just now approaching the Sierra Range. This wave will bring another 9-11 inches of cold powder, favoring areas from Kirkwood and north. The southern Sierra towards Mammoth will see less (4-8 additional). This wave peaks from 11 AM Sunday to 8 PM Sunday. Last chair on Sunday might be your best.
Below: Additional snowfall from Noon Sunday to later Sunday evening for the Sierra. 70% of these totals below will fall while the lifts are open on Sunday. There seems to be higher odds of double digits from South Lake Tahoe towards Palisades or I-80 further north. Monday will feature snowfall from Sunday afternoon and evening, plus some new terrain openings that were closed on Sunday.
The storm over the Sierra weakens as it moves east and should favor areas of western Idaho, southern Utah, and Colorado (Southern areas favored). The Wasatch, unfortunately, has continued to downtrend. Chase from the Sierra to the following areas below.
Below: As the deep moisture tap dissipates as the Sierra storm moves east on Sunday night/Monday, you can see some low-end double digits in western Idaho, southern Utah, and Colorado (Southern zones).
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Storm #3 Rolls Into the PNW, Canada, and the Rockies Tuesday-Thursday - The Real Deal
A classic cold mid winter like storm will roll into the Pacific Northwest and Canada on Tuesday/Wednesday. This system has very cold air, good snow ratios, and high-quality powder. The models have been consistent with the trajectory noted below. PNW, Canada, Idaho, Southern Montana, Tetons, and edging south to the Wasatch Range (Wildcard).
Below: 10K foot temps (-10C) are well below normal for mid-April and will bring very low snow levels to the West with this storm. The cold air starts in the PNW by Tuesday and transitions slowly into the Rockies by Wednesday night into Thursday night. The cold front reaches Colorado on Thursday night. Map: Tuesday PM-Saturday AM.
Below: 3 Day snowfall totals with the storm next week (Tue-Friday). Geez, this looks a bit like a classic mid-winter storm that we could have really used many weeks ago. SW flow migrates to NW flow with the colder air. This is a great setup for many resorts in the West. Don't take your snow tires off yet!
Did you score powder this season as a result of our forecasts?
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