Will There Be Snow to Be Thankful for This Year?
Last season in the Sierra, the Wasatch, and the Rockies came in like a lion, and, well, continued to roar all the way through April. But this snow year, at least in Colorado, Utah, Washington, and California and Nevada, has started out to be one of the driest in the last three decades.
While most major resorts have received a dusting and/or are enjoying temps recently dropping to the point where enough show can be made for some nice groomer turns before the bird goes in the oven, a snap in the ridge that has been pushing most storms north to Canada and Alaska, is lifting this week bringing in some significant totals faster than you can say yes to Reddi Whip on top of your pumpkin pie.
Here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect if you’re thinking of scrapping the political blah blah over Pecan pie and making last-minute travel plans up to altitude:
The West:
A cold storm front is moving in Tuesday of Turkey Day week into the Sierra and should stay till Friday morning.
If you’re traveling to Tahoe or Mammoth, you’re gonna want to load up the crossover before Tuesday night as winds over the ridge will be 50+ mph Tuesday night. In other words, if you’re gonna go, go now. Snow and strong winds should accumulate about two feet up high and, at lake level in Tahoe, up to 15 inches.
In Tahoe, Wednesday will bring more snow showers along with a little bonus lake effect dumpage on the north shore. Scattered show showers will hit through Thursday night, padded, again, with lake effect. Overall, three feet+ should drop in the Western Sierra and Mammoth at the top could see four+ to set a basecoat for December.
Utah
In the Wasatch, it’s pretty much the same pattern, with snow showers moving in to the front and back lining up back-to-back storms starting late Tuesday night and raging off and on into Saturday.
Utah will stay cloudy with scattered flurries till Dec. 6 where the first sustained lineup of the season is set to dump till tthe middle of the month. Again, if you’re traveling to SLC to enjoy your turkey with a 3.2 beer and a side of funeral potatoes, try to get there before EOD Tuesday.
Colorado
The Rockies enjoyed some early season precipitation last week and that will continue Tuesday, with a slight travel break in the pattern on Wednesday and then snow flurries and showers continuing through Saturday, tapering off to a bluebird Sunday—just in time for you to get a few sunny turns in before checking in at DIA.
Across the West
It remains very cold with highs in the 20s, and that’s the story across the plains as this Thanksgiving portends to be colder than most. So look, in the Wasatch especially, to swap out that cranberry sauce in the shape of the can with a little bit of that dry, crisp pow.
...And you thought there’d be nothing to be thankful this year.