Hello skiers,
There will be new snow, but will it be enough?
I expect new snow above 4,000 feet with this current storm. The snow is falling now (Thu evening) through early Friday. Expect 2-9 of new with the snow level lowering to 4,000 - 4,500 by Friday afternoon. The new snow will fall mainly on the mid and upper slopes. It will help, but unfortunately, its not enough to get us open. .
By the weekend high pressure will move in with a mix of clearing, cool weather and cloudiness at times. But no new snow is expected. A new storm will come in by Tuesday, but no big deal with minor snowfall. By late next Wednesday into Thanksgiving Day there will be a moderate storm producing 4-10 of new. That will help and there may be another moderate storm after that, so we may be on our way.
With snow making and those storms late next week, we still have a small chance to open, but dont get your hopes up too much.
I am sure Whistler will have enough to open. Its possible there will be enough snow with snow making on the lower slopes to open top to bottom (Whistler Peak to Village). In my opinion, they have enough snow to open in parts of the alpine (above the Roundhouse) , but there are sometimes other operational and safety considerations. Their opening day is Nov 25.
Recap:
The two atmospheric rivers (ARs) with high snow levels really pounded the shallow snowpack last Friday and Saturday, then again last Sunday and Monday. We lost some snow, for sure. The snow left standing was consolidated forming a solid foundation for the rest of the season - thats good. Also, we did see the snow level drop as promised after the AR left town. Unfortunately, the AR was running out of moisture. Still, there was new snow later Monday and Tuesday, especially for Stevens.
That was a strong AR, the kind we dont get very often. The more moderate ARs are more common. While ARs and their warmth, producing rain on snow, can occur at any time during the winter, they are most common in the early season, especially November, out wettest month.
Larry Schick
meteorologist
The Grand Poobah
There will be new snow, but will it be enough?
I expect new snow above 4,000 feet with this current storm. The snow is falling now (Thu evening) through early Friday. Expect 2-9 of new with the snow level lowering to 4,000 - 4,500 by Friday afternoon. The new snow will fall mainly on the mid and upper slopes. It will help, but unfortunately, its not enough to get us open. .
By the weekend high pressure will move in with a mix of clearing, cool weather and cloudiness at times. But no new snow is expected. A new storm will come in by Tuesday, but no big deal with minor snowfall. By late next Wednesday into Thanksgiving Day there will be a moderate storm producing 4-10 of new. That will help and there may be another moderate storm after that, so we may be on our way.
With snow making and those storms late next week, we still have a small chance to open, but dont get your hopes up too much.
I am sure Whistler will have enough to open. Its possible there will be enough snow with snow making on the lower slopes to open top to bottom (Whistler Peak to Village). In my opinion, they have enough snow to open in parts of the alpine (above the Roundhouse) , but there are sometimes other operational and safety considerations. Their opening day is Nov 25.
Recap:
The two atmospheric rivers (ARs) with high snow levels really pounded the shallow snowpack last Friday and Saturday, then again last Sunday and Monday. We lost some snow, for sure. The snow left standing was consolidated forming a solid foundation for the rest of the season - thats good. Also, we did see the snow level drop as promised after the AR left town. Unfortunately, the AR was running out of moisture. Still, there was new snow later Monday and Tuesday, especially for Stevens.
That was a strong AR, the kind we dont get very often. The more moderate ARs are more common. While ARs and their warmth, producing rain on snow, can occur at any time during the winter, they are most common in the early season, especially November, out wettest month.
Larry Schick
meteorologist
The Grand Poobah
