Let’s get this party started! Image: Powderchasers
Brace yourselves… Winter is coming in heavy this weekend. Weather patterns in the West are often overshadowed this time of year by hurricane season. But for those of us frothing for snowfall, it’s time to make sure you’ve got your wax warmed and gear dusted off because after this weekend, the Pacific Northwest mountains could be buried in snow.
Before the term “Atmospheric River” became a favorite on news broadcasts, this type of storm might have caught more attention. But these days the weather pattern that couriers biblical amounts of moisture in a matter of days is becoming a more common occurrence, and the first storm of the winter is lining up to be a big one.
Close to eight inches of rain are forecasted to hit the west coast of Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula starting Friday. A high-pressure sandwich off the coast of California and in the Gulf of Alaska are creating conditions that will push a trough of moisture like opposing wheels on a conveyor belt onto the West Coast, lasting through Sunday at least. Colder than normal temps are forecasted as well, possibly bringing the freezing level down to 3,000 feet in the mountains of British Columbia and northern Washington. In other words…yee-haw.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on the West Coast. Source: Meteorological Service of Canada
While it’s tough to accurately predict exactly how much moisture will fall where, most weather models agree that it will be fierce and steady through the weekend. The one big wildcard is a warming trend on Saturday that could see the freezing level spike upwards of 7,000′ feet, providing an unwelcome buzzkill to Friday’s accumulation. This is all computer generated predictions though, and with a fast-moving storm those projections could be off, albeit in either direction. So while it may still be a touch early for all but the most frothing hardcores willing to spend more time going up than down, it’ll be there for the taking for anyone willing to take a venture into the backcountry and who doesn’t mind playing whack-a-mole with their gear on a few lurking sharks underneath.
This is in addition to a significant storm currently pounding the Rockies, ushering upwards of three feet to parts of Colorado, Utah, and Montana in the last few days. Coming in from the southwest, this system was a bit warmer with freezing levels predicted to be around 9,000 feet. But our friends at Powderchasers say temperatures, especially in the Wasatch, cooled down this morning (Friday, October 18), setting up some great conditions for those willing to boot pack or skin (watch for rocks, though). Powderchasers also alerted snow aficionados of an incoming storm setting up around October 26 that has the potential to blanket the West.
Source: Chris Tomer//YouTube
Yes, it may be a touch early to be busting out any brand new skis or boards still rocking the factory wax (use the rock gear), but there will be snow for the most devoted. And when you zoom out and look at the whole season, the outlook is good. NOAA is forecasting above-average precipitation and below-average temperatures for much of the Northwest, with the Idaho Panhandle and western Montana receiving the most favorable odds for a good snow year.
Source: Accuweather
So if you haven’t already, it might be time to schedule leg day at the gym and hold the cheeseburgers for a while to make sure you can start winter off on the right foot, and not on your ass. If you’re anywhere near the Northwest, it should be popping in no time.
Image credit: NOAA
Image credit: NOAA
