Nov 6- The pre-season stoke builds❄️

Andrea Hamilton
23 hours ago
3 min read

Hello NW skiers and snowboarders,

The pre-season stoke builds with more snow falling today! ❄️

We have continued unsettled weather today into Friday morning, with an active low pressure delivering the goods to the Cascades. The snow levels will remain modest with accumulating (2–8”) snow mainly on the mid and upper slopes (SL 4,500–6,000) especially into Baker and Whistler. That’s on top of what has already fallen this new season, which is a few inches to a couple of feet in the upper elevations.

Right now, snowpack is well above normal on mid and upper slopes for early November.
There is nearly record deep snow in spots (North Cascades).
Great news, considering it’s the first week of November.
That snowy pattern will continue to build the pack today and tonight, but base areas will remain thin with only patchy snow at best – it’s just not cold enough yet at the base areas.
The weekend looks mainly dry, then more storms with Cascade snowfall late next week.

It’s complicated to predict who will open and when, but I am confident there will be respectable skiing in the Pacific Northwest by Thanksgiving weekend. Most likely early openings include Crystal, Whistler (and Interior BC), Baker, Mission, White, 49 Degrees, and Targhee.

Since upper elevation snowpack is already ok, much of the decision to open the slopes will hinge on base area snowpack – both natural and/or machine-made. Typically, it gets colder later in November and that aids base area snow accumulation, so I am optimistic.

It’s normal that the snow level does bounce up and down with each storm. That is because each storm has a warm and cold sector as it moves through the Pacific Northwest. It’s rare we get significant snowfall in early November on the lower slopes and this year is no exception. Low elevation snow becomes a bit more likely by mid-late November and certainly December.

So, no worries, everything is near normal for now – and even well above normal snow accumulation on the upper slopes. Remember a few years ago in fall of 2022 – there was NO snowpack at any elevation into Thanksgiving weekend – with only partial openings helped by 100% snowmaking. Right now, the upper ski slopes are almost “good enough,” with some thin spots. The lower slopes remain marginal with patchy or no snow. Once it gets cold enough, snowmaking will be seen on the lower slopes, completing the puzzle for opening the slopes.

This weekend will see high pressure move in with a dry weather pattern with no new snow.
There is a weak storm on Monday, but most of the week will be dry.
Late in the week, the storms awaken again and start to pound the Pacific Northwest with additional snowfall, again with modest snow levels.

It’s really too early now to see the details on the evolution of that snow pattern. I'll have updates later next week.

Ready, set, go! Everything points to the season getting rolling early or on time. Get that equipment and your car ready for winter – carving your new turns is just around the corner.

Your Grand Poobah,

Larry Schick, Meteorologist

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Below:24 hr snowfall into early Friday (2–8”) favoring North Cascades (Baker) and Whistler.Crystal up top Green Valley at about 6,500 ft, looking good. Bottom remains thin or no snow.