Talks of an exciting La Niña winter had all of us eager for a fruitful season, but after a decent November showing, she’s basically ghosted us. We’re halfway through December without any real storm totals to report, which is both sad for our ski days and for our climate. But thanks to an uplifting email from OpenSnow this morning, we may just be turning a corner on this depressingly dry December.
As of Thursday, December 12, there are three storms in the next system worth watching and chasing, if that’s your thing. The first storm is set to hit the Sierras today (Thursday) with cold temperatures and gusty winds. This may effect lifts spinning up high but the storm is expected to drop six to nine inches along the Sierras and three to six inches on the eastern side of Lake Tahoe. The second storm to roll in will be on Saturday and it will come with more moisture and even stronger winds, which means it won’t snow below 7,000 feet at first but will slowly trickle down into Sunday, dropping an impressive 25+ inches at Palisades Tahoe by the end of the weekend. It’s Mount Shasta that takes the cake in California with a projected 45 inches in the next five days.
The Pacific Northwest and west side of British Columbia score big in this system as well. Storm totals at Mt. Baker and Whistler are both expected to hit upwards of two feet, with the biggest single-day snowfall on Saturday at both resorts. The downside is that the PNW is looking a little warmer than typical, which may result in rain down low.
As this system moves West over the weekend, Central Idaho and the Northern Rockies will reap the biggest benefits with storm totals hitting more than a foot from McCall, Idaho—home of Tamarack Resort—to Sun Valley and up to Schweitzer Mountain. The Tetons will finally see the storm action by Sunday, with up to a foot of fresh by Monday at Jackson Hole and a little more on the Grand Targhee side of the pass. Alta Ski Area and Snowbird won’t be left out of this system either, just not quite as much as we’ve come to expect in the Wasatch. Unfortunately, Colorado will only see a dusting, if anything, from this band of storms.
Storm chasers rejoice! Winter is back on in much of the West and we’re here to help you keep tabs on where to send it with each storm as they come. Be sure to check back at Freeskier.com throughout the winter so you know exactly where to go for the best skiing.
