Weekly North America Forecast – Prolonged Storm Cycle to Bring Super Deep Powder Across the West
Written late Wednesday, 5th March (Pacific Standard Time)
After a quiet spell late last week, storms returned to the North American West on Sunday and Monday. Resorts in the Sierras, Utah and Colorado have been in the firing line and have accumulated up to 50-80+cm since. Resorts elsewhere in the Rockies have also scored around 10-25cm, while the Cascades and Coastal B.C. have received a light top-up of around 5-10cm.
These storms are just the tip of the iceberg, the start of a prolonged active storm cycle that will see us through to at least mid-March. Over the next seven days, resorts in Canada and central-southern U.S. will be favoured, with the Sierras and Coastal B.C. likely to receive close to a metre or more. There will, however, be a break for the U.S. this weekend, while snowfall will be fairly relentless across Canada from Friday onwards.
Thursday 6th to Sunday 9th March
A storm spread across the south on Wednesday and will continue tracking eastwards on Thursday and Friday before finally exiting western North America on Saturday. Clear skies and high pressure will slide in behind the storm, revealing deep fresh powder in the Sierras and the Rockies from Wyoming and southern Idaho southwards. Although the storm has started out relatively mild, colder air on the back half of the storm will bring high-quality powder to low levels.
For the Sierras, the bulk of snow is expected to fall today, Wednesday, with some incredible footage already coming out of resorts there. Snowfall will ease and clear there first on Thursday. Snow will then clear the central Rockies (Utah to northern Colorado northwards) during Friday as heavy falls spread across Arizona into New Mexico and southern Colorado. Snow will gradually clear these southern parts from the west on Saturday.
At the same time, a storm in northern B.C. on Thursday will spread southwards on Friday, with heavy snowfall in the Coast Mountains reaching Whister Friday night and continuing through Saturday before clearing later on Sunday. Massive totals of up to 1-1.5m+ are expected in the area.
Snowfall also ramps up and spreads southwards over the Canadian Rockies on Saturday and will continue through Sunday into early Monday. While heavy snowfall is expected in the most exposed terrain of the Canadian Rockies, the likes of Marmot, Kicking Horse, and Revelstoke will see moderate falls, while lighter falls are expected at other resorts to the south.
Monday 10th to Wednesday 12th March and beyond
The weather pattern will remain active over western North America during this period, with multiple storms sweeping in from the Pacific dropping fresh powder over the entire area. The Sierras will once again be in the firing line, with heavy snowfall expected on Wednesday. Resorts elsewhere will see lower totals but will receive more frequent, smaller top-ups.
More storms are expected through the back half of the week, through mid-March, with early forecasts expecting deep totals across the Pacific Crest and moderate totals throughout the Rockies.
That’s all from me today and for the season, folks. After a mixed season of some big storms and long, quiet spells, Western North America is about to go off! So, I’m logging off and getting out there amongst it. It’s been an absolute pleasure bringing you all the highlights and snowlights of the 2024-2025 season. See you all Down Under in a few months time.
Grasshopper
