SUMMARY
The departing system in the Rockies on Monday will usher in much warmer temperatures this week in the Rockies. Valleys may approach 70 degrees! The only chance of powder will be in the Cascades, western BC, and lighter amounts in the interior of BC (Colder temps). You could chase 3 storms in the PNW with the deepest being Friday. Keep an eye on Whistler or the Northern Cascades, especially Thursday night into Friday.
FORECAST
Its always good to wake up to a surprise double digit dump, and that is exactly what Crested Butte delivered Monday morning. 12-14 inches of dense pow covered up the bumps, ice layers, and created dream conditions for the many that scored. Good luck finding a restaurant open or fully staffed Monday morning. Call it Power flu and no mask required! Did I see this coming? Well actually on my post from Saturday I mentioned Crested Butte would likely score deeper powder with greater moisture west and south (Aspen, Crested Butte and Telluride). On Sunday my post did not mention this. In fact the resorts north of I-70 mentioned on my post did not score deep snow (Eldora reported 4 inches). Aspen was mentioned on my post Sunday night as a deeper wildcard who did perform well. The models were not impressive for much more than 4-7 inches elsewhere and that was in range of most of the reports Monday morning. Crested Butte had the highest reports on Monday (12-14).
The upcoming week brings 3 systems into the Pacific Northwest. Each system will be slightly colder and have deeper snow totals. Temps will fluctuate from snow levels at or slightly above the bases (Significant warming on Tuesday) but dropping with each passing cold front. The first system will bring 3-6 inches of snow to most of the northern and central ranges of the Cascades Tuesday (Not worth a chase). Moderate snow is likely Wednesday morning for the North and Central Cascades with less further south (Temps fall Wednesday morning as precipitation weans. I would aim for Baker and perhaps Snoqualmie or Stevens (Convergence zone possible). Expect 5-11 inches (Higher numbers will be north). Perhaps 4-8 central. The extended forecast brings a wetter system in for Friday.
Light snow will be falling over the interior of BC Tuesday night favoring northern resorts near Revelstoke. Several light to moderate refresh events with cooler temps (north favored initially).
EXTENDED POW
The final wave of chase worthy powder will arrive Thursday night. This system will land decent amounts over Whistler (6-10 at the summit) and the North Cascades (Baker). Timing is perfect. Temps are lower. Overnight snow, cooling temps and the chance for double digits. Right now expect 7-11inches for most of the North and Central Cascades. The higher amounts may favor Baker or Whistler.
The interior of BC seems to be active in the Friday/Saturday timeframe. Moderate snow is likely from Revy pushing south to the Idaho line early this weekend. While amounts are not significant, it's a solid refresh. The Panhandle of northern Idaho might also score by Saturday.
Models disagree on timing with the Saturday/Sunday period for the Sierra. The Sierra is likely to score a moderate storm this upcoming weekend (Stay tuned).
In the Rockies, very warm temps prevail until perhaps late this weekend. It is possible that the Tetons begin to see some snow late this weekend. This might carry over to the Wasatch but it's too far out to forecast.
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Powderchaser Steve
