Nov 23- Is winter waking up? Let’s hope so.

Andrea Hamilton
7 days ago
4 min read

Cooler temps, new storms and the launch of Slope Stories.

Hello skiers and snowboarders,

There is more new snow for the Cascades and the Inland NW in the forecast with cooler temperatures. We still need much more to open, especially on the mid and lower slopes. Snowpacks are lean or non-existent at lower elevations.

With little snow at the base areas and patchy on the upper slopes, the problem for NW ski areas has been consistent mild temperatures producing modestly high snow levels through November. That warmth has suppressed snow making operations and played havoc with natural snowfall accumulation and preservation. The mild air was driven our way by stubborn southwesterly airflow. We will be seeing that change soon as storms mix it up a bit in the next week.

So now what? In a nutshell we need 1-3ft or more of new snow at a minimum. The good news is colder temperatures and more snow is on the way following a change in the wind. Today will see a convergence zone aiming snow at Stevens and The Summit (2-5” – SL 5,000ft, but lowering) Elsewhere expect trace - 2”.

Monday will see cooler weather with a few lingering snow showers of a trace - 2”, SL – 2,500ft, so new snow, all slopes - but nothing of deepish. The best news is later Tuesday and Wednesday through the weekend will see a series of vigorous storms. We will see variable snow levels bounce around a bit but tending on the lower side (2,500 – 5,500 ft). I’ll have more details on that later but there is potential for 10-20” of new snow from Wednesday to the weekend. However, there is great uncertainty right now with different computer weather models, the nature of the storms and storm tracks. Updates to come Wednesday or Thursday – but stay tuned. I am reasonably optimistic.

The exception to the meager NW snowfall is Whistler, who has ample snow cover on the mid slopes to the alpine. W/B is now partially open with only Jersey Cream lift on Blackcomb. They seem to have adequate snow, except for the base areas, with more snowfall in the forecast. I am optimistic more terrain will open in the next week, as many in the Powder Poobah community have told me they are headed that way for the Thanksgiving holiday and beyond. I am waiting for confirmation of increased open terrain from W/B.

Watch for changes and updates to come Wednesday or Thursday. I hope we are headed in the right direction with storms now drawing in colder air.

Have a great holiday.

The Grand Poobah of Powder

Larry Schick – meteorologist

Whistler on Friday (11/21) the Jersey Cream chair. Thank you @Paul Gibbons for sharing the stoke.

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