A storm will develop off the west coast of Canada this weekend and will slowly work its way south into early next week, bringing snow to the Northwest and Northern Rockies. A cold front will also arrive with snow levels starting out relatively high before dropping to lower elevations into early next week.

This storm will bring 6-12 inches of snow to most ski resorts from the Cascades to Whistler through early next week, while many areas in the Northern U.S. Rockies, Canadian Rockies, and British Columbia Interior will pick up 4-8 inches with isolated higher totals possible.

This storm will eventually reach the Sierra and the Central and Southern Rockies by the middle of next week.

Forecast for Friday (Feb 6):

A storm will move into the East, bringing light to moderate snow to the western slopes of the Appalachians from Quebec to North Carolina, with locally heavy totals possible in West Virginia. Localized lake effect snow showers can also be expected over Northern Michigan.

In the West, a weak disturbance will bring some light snow showers to the Southern Sierra Nevada Range in California. Otherwise, the rest of the West will continue to experience warm and dry conditions more reminiscent of spring. 

Forecast for Saturday (Feb 7):

A storm will begin to impact the Northwest with snow developing across British Columbia and Alberta. Snow levels will be relatively high initially, so lower elevation ski resorts will see rain or a mix, and this also includes Washington, where most ski resorts will start out as rain.

In the East, the focus of light to moderate snow will shift into Upstate New York and New England and will also continue across Quebec. An arctic cold front arriving on the backside of this storm will also bring frigid temperatures. Further south, snow showers will linger over the Central and Southern Appalachians early in the day.

Forecast for Sunday (Feb 8):

A storm over the West will begin to deepen southward into the Northwest U.S., and snow levels will also drop as colder air arrives. Snow will favor the Cascades and Northern U.S. Rockies as well as the interior ranges of Canada.

Cold and dry conditions will prevail across most of the East, while some light lake effect snow showers will be possible near the Great Lakes, especially near Lake Superior.

Forecast for Monday (Feb 9):

The Western storm will continue to work its way southward with snowfall rates picking up across the Northwest and Northern U.S. Rockies. A trailing storm will also bring more snow to the Coast Range of British Columbia.

A disturbance tracking across the Upper Midwest will also bring more snow to the UP of Michigan and Ontario.

Forecast for Tuesday (Feb 10):

The Western storm will continue to deepen southward with snow developing over the Sierra Nevada Range as well as the Central Rockies, including Utah and Colorado. Lighter snow showers will also redevelop over the Cascades and British Columbia.

Further east, snow showers will continue across the Northern Great Lakes as a weak disturbance moves through.

Outlook for Wed (Feb 11) to Sun (Feb 15):

In the West, a storm looks to favor the Southwest into the Southern Rockies early in this period.

Heading into President's Day weekend, a second storm is projected to quickly deepen southward along the West Coast with early indications hinting that this storm could favor the Southern Rockies and possibly the Sierra, with lighter snow but continued low snow levels favored across the Northwest.

An active pattern is also expected to develop across the East with more snow possible, though the details are uncertain this far out.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Monday (February 9).

Alan Smith