A bitterly cold pattern will remain in place across the East this weekend, with a reinforcing shot of arctic air arriving. A strong storm will also develop over the Southeast, with heavy snow expected across the Carolinas, including blizzard conditions over the North Carolina Outer Banks as the storm develops into a Nor'easter.

While lowland snow might be getting most of the attention, the Southern Appalachians will also do very well with this storm, and ski resorts from North Carolina and Tennessee to Southern West Virginia will pick up 6-12 inches of low-density powder.

In the West, most areas will see dry conditions prevail, but several storms will impact the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada.

Temperatures will be on the warmer side in this pattern, and snow levels will be on the higher side, resulting in periods of rain interspersed with snow for ski resorts in the Washington Cascades.

Rain will also fall at some lower elevation resorts in British Columbia, but higher elevations in British Columbia above 1500 meters or 5,000 feet will pick up some good snow, with the upper portions of ski resorts such as Whistler, Revelstoke, and Whitewater favored for 6-12 inches of snow over the next 5 days. 

Forecast for Friday (Jan 30):

A stronger storm will impact the Northwest and Western Canada, with moderate to heavy snow for higher elevation ski areas in British Columbia, while Washington ski resorts will primarily see rain. Light snow and rain will also fall over Northern Idaho and Montana.

In the East, localized lake effect snow showers can be expected from Michigan to Western New York. A storm will then begin in the Southeast on Friday night with snow developing over the Southern Appalachians. 

Forecast for Saturday (Jan 31):

A storm will intensify over the Southeast on Saturday with heavy snow expected across the Southern Appalachians and throughout the Carolinas into Southern Virginia. Localized lake effect snow showers can be expected further north, with generally light amounts favored.

The Northwest will be in between storms on Saturday with just some light showers expected. The previous storm will move into the Upper Midwest with snow expected over the Northern Plains.

Forecast for Sunday (Feb 1):

In the East, the center of the storm will be located a bit offshore as it tracks from south to north and parallels the East Coast. This track will likely bring some snow to coastal areas from New Jersey to Massachusetts, but the track will likely be a bit too far east for most ski resorts in the Northeast to pick up any snow.

In the West, another storm will develop over the Northwest with snow favoring British Columbia, though snow levels will drop a little bit, which will allow for snow to fall across the upper portions of ski resorts in Washington.

A storm over the Upper Midwest will also move eastward with light snow developing at ski resorts in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. 

Forecast for Monday (Feb 2):

A storm will linger over the Northwest and British Columbia with snow levels rising across the coastal ranges toward the end of the event as temperatures warm up. Some light snow may extend further south into the Central U.S. Rockies, but confidence is low as many models are keeping these areas dry.

The storm over the Upper Midwest will fizzle out as it moves eastward, while a generally dry and cold pattern is expected for the rest of the East.

Forecast for Tuesday (Feb 3):

In the West, snow and rain will taper off over British Columbia while a weak storm may sneak into Colorado and New Mexico from the north, though confidence is low due to poor model agreement. 

A new storm will develop over the Central U.S. and will track across the Lower Midwest toward the Western Mid-Atlantic with generally light snow expected. 

Outlook for Wed (Feb 4) to Sun (Feb 8):

Next week will feature more of the same with a Western ridge and an Eastern trough in place.

The ridge will even intensify over the West, resulting in well-above normal temperatures. The storm track will shift further north into Northern British Columbia, though any storms up there will have high snow levels. 

In the East, the bitter cold should ease up some, but temperatures will still be colder than average. There are also growing signals of a possible storm sliding in from the northwest, which could favor portions of the Upper Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Northern New England, and Quebec.

Looking further out, there are some hints of a more favorable pattern developing across the West during the second week of February. But confidence is low this far out, so we'll see how this looks as we get closer.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Monday (February 2).

Alan Smith