Storm For Sunday/Monday Strengthens

Next Storm
The last storm in our series of storms is getting more impressive by the hour. In addition, snow levels should be around 5,000 to 6,000 feet max. The storm will crank up Sunday afternoon and last through at least Monday morning. There is now a very adequate moisture tap associated with this storm. The Sierra should pick up 1-3 feet of very skiable powder. The Carson range about 2/3 of that. Here is a forecast for 4:00 Sunday afternoon by the GFS. I am thinking the GFS is a little slow on the storm which may well get going earlier. In any event you can see the moisture tap from the west that is feeding this storm and the NWS has increased their snow totals.

4:00 Sunday (GFS)

Current Conditions
I went to Mt. Rose Ski area early this morning to get in a few turns. That is what I got, just a few turns. Unfortunately most of the precip from last night came in the form of rain except in the highest elevations. Lake Tahoe rose 2 inches last night as reported by the NWS. The cold front came through very quickly and put the freeze on just about everything before dumping 1-2 feet of snow. All the lifts were frozen and had to be manually cleared of ice before they could get them spinning. It sounds like NW did not even open today.

I am guessing above the treeline on Mt. Rose they received around 4 feet of wet snow. Some areas of the Sierra were estimated receiving upwards of 5 inches of liquid precip. All this moisture is a huge relief. However, I am not sure how much more terrain will be open tomorrow. If we get the expected 1-3 feet of snow by Monday, that will be a great help.

Looking Ahead
The models are all over the board. A weak system may come in late next week, then the possibility exists that the storm cycle may start up again. However, that is only a possibility so do not make plans to skip work yet. I will keep an eye on how the region is setting up toward the end of the first week in Feb.

Stay Tuned ...