Strap in, ’cause here we go. Photo: Andrew Miller//Mammoth Mountain
ollowing a brief respite of high pressure that teased summer in western North America, a powerful winter storm is set to dump up to three feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada over the next week. It could bring significant snow totals to other parts of the West, as well.
Forecasters are calling for a lighter storm to start things off today into the weekend, with three to seven inches in parts of British Columbia and the Northern Rockies into Colorado. But as the folks at PowderChasers put it, the real story of the forecast is in the longterm.
“Low pressure from Monday through Friday tracks over Oregon and the north-central Rockies next week,” writes PowderChasers. “High pressure is noted to return by next weekend, April 4 or 5. This low will impact many areas of the West (broad system). Totals for California peak from Monday morning to Monday evening and again on Thursday/Friday. There are several waves of lighter periods of snow on Tuesday also. The models may have down-trended slightly from yesterday. The timing of Monday (storm ski) might not be optimal for overnight double digits. However, some terrain will likely stay closed, making Tuesday a better bet (for chasing pow). ”
Bottom line? There’s going to be snow all week in the Mountain West. The storm looks as though it starts off on the warmer side, then cools later Monday for better snow quality. Virtually every state and western province should see precipitation next week as the storm covers the whole of western North America. Some of the storm totals look really good, too. Powder Chasers is calling for 35 inches or more in the Northern Sierra, and 22 inches in the southern part of the range. The Oregon Cascades see 16-20, while Washington is in the 9 to 15-inch range. Western Idaho could see up to 15 inches with Eastern Idaho and the Tetons getting up to 22 inches. Parts of Western Montana could also see up to 15 inches, especially at places like Big Sky.
All in all, a great week of powder awaits. Get out there and ride!
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