The latest models are still bringing a split day and evening system into Utah Friday (Ho Hum timing) with 2- 4 inches in the Cottonwoods this morning. Snowbasin on the webcam appears to be near 5 inches overnight. Unfortunately, on the radar, there is a donut hole between Salt Lake and Logan currently so totals for the 1st chair as I mentioned last night may stay in the 2-5 inch range. It appears that heavier snow may be falling north towards Beaver Mountain (Hard to say due to webcams) and perhaps Sundance near Provo (Little overnight on the telemetry). That break will be short-lived where precip moves back in early this morning. Overall the northern Wasatch near Snowbasin into the central areas near Deer Valley is winning the game this morning. An unfortunate break in the action is occurring at post time.
Heavier snow will filter into the main core of the Wasatch this morning and continue into the afternoon. Models are not overly impressive with a general 3-7 additional inches for most areas. The highest amounts may land in Big Cottonwood or towards Snowbasin. Models show higher amounts into the evening hours for the northern Wasatch near Snowbasin until 8 PM (SW flow favors Snowbasin, however, winds shift to the NW late today so not sure why the models are continuing to pump moisture there this evening). Another spot to watch is Beaver Mountain up north towards Logan. Moisture should increase over the central Wasatch (Little Cottonwood Favored as well as the Canyons and perhaps Powder Mountain) late this afternoon through Friday evening. An additional 4-8 inches are likely tonight. Bottom Line: Decent 24 hour totals but split between AM/PM snow plus wind shifts will not be a good scenario for any double-digit dump in a 12 hour period. Let's hope NW flow brings us some surprises for Saturday morning but my confidence is generally 3-7 overnight. Little Cottonwood is the mostly likely outlier if additional higher amounts occur tonight.
The Tetons are grabbing a decent dose of moderate snowfall primarily late Friday into the evening hours (4-6). Last chairs today or 1st chairs Saturday will deliever good quality but not likely to exceed double digits in any 12 hour period. Grand Targhee may be favored on this one?
In Colorado, avalanches have kept many roads closed (Highway 91 remains closed from Copper to Leadville). I-70 was closed all day yesterday with many passes preventing any skiers from getting to the slopes. Today features a break in the action with a good opportunity to hit terrain that never opened on Thursday. Some ski areas remained closed yesterday. Confidence is good that terrain will open with the break in the action today with the exception of snow showers at times favoring the southern or western areas. I like the odds of overnight snow for Colorado Friday PM to Saturday AM. The highest amounts will fall from Crested Butte/Aspen (7-12) and extend east towards Eagle County. It's possible that Beaver Creek comes up with respectable amounts for Saturday morning (6-12). Another deep spot will be Steamboat (8-14). Powderhorn towards Grand Junction will also do very well late today or this evening. Further east into Summit County amounts will range from 5-10 inches for your 1st turns on Saturday. In the southern mountains winds are from the SW initially Friday so expect moderate snow to also fill in for Wolf Creek mid-Friday to Saturday (4-8). Telluride will benefit from the NW wind shifts late Friday night so some moderate powder is likely for your 1st turns Saturday (4-8). Convective bands of snow are likely to set up over Colorado with this storm, so amounts may vary widely within short distances. I am going with a slightly conservative forecast. Snow quality will be excellent.
Looking out to next week, my eyes are on a good cold system with NW winds for the Cascades by Tuesday that moves into the Rockies by Wednesday. This will also impact the northern Sierra and push some moisture into Wyoming. The current track seems to favor the 4 corners including Arizona that pushes good moisture north into most of Utah and southern or central Wyoming. The southern or central areas of Colorado may also score mid next week. Timing and track will definitely change being over 5-6 days out.
