The West will pick up some much-needed snow this week as persistent high pressure breaks down, with the storm track favoring the Sierra and the Central Rockies. 

Ski resorts in the Sierra Nevada Range and around Tahoe will pick up 10-18 inches of snow over the next 5 days. Further inland, the Wasatch to the Tetons to Southwest Montana will see 6-16 inches, while Western and Southern Colorado will generally see 4-10 inches.

Note that the snowfall map below also includes snowfall from Sunday.

Forecast for Monday (Feb 9):

A storm will move from the Northwest into the Northern Rockies on Monday, with snow favoring Southwest Montana and Northwest Wyoming. Another storm will also impact the Coast Range of British Columbia.

Further east, a storm will track across the Upper Midwest, bringing snow to Ontario and Northern Michigan.

Forecast for Tuesday (Feb 10):

The next storm will make landfall in California with heavy snow developing across the Sierra, while light to moderate snow will also develop over the Central Rockies. A weaker storm will also bring light to moderate snow to British Columbia and Alberta.

In the East, a storm will track eastward with snow favoring Ontario and Quebec, before spreading into Upstate New York and New England on Tuesday night.

Forecast for Wednesday (Feb 11):

A storm will continue to impact the Sierra and the Rockies with snowfall rates picking up across the Wasatch and the Tetons, while Western Colorado will also see an uptick in snowfall.

In the East, light to moderate snow will continue across Upstate New York, New England, and Quebec.

Forecast for Thursday (Feb 12):

In the West, a storm will exit the Rockies with lingering snow favoring Western and Central Colorado. A new storm will also make landfall in British Columbia, with snow favoring the Coast Range. 

In the East, light snow showers will linger over Upstate New York and New England, mainly early in the day.

Forecast for Friday (Feb 13):

In the West, there will be two storms to watch on Friday. First, a storm will bring light to moderate snow to Western Canada and the Northwest U.S. And second, a new storm will develop over the Southwest with snow favoring Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico.

In the East, a drying trend is expected over New England, while a weak storm will slide from the Midwest into the Southern Mid-Atlantic with light snow possible in West Virginia and North Carolina. 

Outlook for Sat (Feb 14) to Wed (Feb 18):

The pattern is setting up to potentially favor stronger storms from the Sierra into the Rockies, while weaker storms would be favored over the Northwest. Below-average temperatures in the Northwest and California and near-average temperatures in the Rockies would also favor low snow levels and good-quality snow.

In the East, an overall warming trend is expected, but a storm with briefly colder temperatures is also projected in the February 14-16 window, with snow possible for the Mid-Atlantic and/or New England depending on the storm track.  

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Wednesday (February 11).

Alan Smith