Recap
After the recent two-week snow blitz, the weather has calmed down a bit with the storm track shifting south. At some elevations, the Cascade snowpack doubled with the onslaught of storms. We went from 50-65% of normal snow pack in early February to 80-100% now – with a series of 6 or 7 storms. We added 5-10ft of snow to the pack. Coverage is good, and near normal for this time of year. More than 60-70% of the typical snow accumulation part of the season is behind us. But don’t worry; the conditions are great and there is more snowfall ahead. Also, there are hints of spring in the air as the days are getting longer.
Forecast
Friday will see partly cloudy weather as the storm track and a major storm moves into mainly southern California. It will be dry in our Cascades.
Weekend
Late Friday into Sunday will see an intrusion of very cold dry air from the interior of BC. Expect chilly temperatures in the teens and twenties on the slopes with a bit of a breeze. No doubt, you will notice the cold. You really want to bundle up. The groomers should be good – carve a few.
Late Weekend
It gets interesting on Sunday. With cold, dry air in place a weather system moves in from the west-southwest. Expect an initial 500 ft snow level and the snow will really start dumping as the moist air overrides the cold air – we could even see lowland snow in Seattle, late Saturday or Sunday. The very cold air will eventually get scoured out, as the snow level rises to 4500 ft by later on Monday – Tuesday. Initially, there will be 6 – 15″ of Cascade snow, but as the milder air mixes out the chill, we will see a rain snow mix on the lower slopes ay and Tuesday. The medium and upper slopes, which stay in the snow, with respectable snow accumulation.
I have high confidence this transition will occur, but low confidence in details like timing and snow amounts. If the timing is right, the first turns Sunday could see some fine powder tracks!
Your Grand Poobah
