The Grasshopper – The Latest Snow Forecast

North American Forecast – Sierras about to pop and southern states burgeoning, while Canada goes hungry

Wednesday 13^th February (Pacific time)

Ten-day snow accumulations. The Sierras are so chocka-block you’d think they’re going to pop. The southern states are also burgeoning, while Canada is tightening its belt. Source:: windy.com

In a similar story to last week, the Sierras will continue to pig-out on massive snowfalls with ten-day accumulations maxing out around the 1.5-2m mark, most of which will fall over the next few days during the current storm. In light of this, Mammoth has announced they will stay open until July the 4th! The southern states of America will also get their fair share with accumulations reaching a half to a whole metre. Canada will be left hungry again with 15-25cm expected there, but up to 50cm in the Coast Mountains. However, this will mostly fall uniformly Thursday through Saturday, rather than one big dump, and should provide great conditions for a weekend shred.

Thursday 14 Feb:

The low system parked just off the coast of Oregon & Washington State continues to funnel a very strong SW flow over the Sierras. Temps will start out too warm, however, with heavy rain falling at lower elevations, but cold air wrapping around the low will gradually lower snow down to base levels with heavy accumulations piling up. It’ll be a similar story for the Cascades where less but still decent accumulations are expected. As the storms influence expands, snowfalls will spread north to the Coast Mountains and inland to the Rockies where there should also be some heavy falls.

Friday 15 Feb:

The storm continues as colder air piles in. Heavy falls will continue over central and southern parts of the Sierras with snow shower in the north. Snow showers or decent periods of snow will also come down over remaining areas.

Saturday 16 Feb:

The low system will weaken as it drifts inland, causing snowfalls to peter out over the southern half of the Rockies and the Coast mountains, while they mostly ease elsewhere.

Sunday 17 Feb:

Scattered snow showers for most areas, some of which may be heavy, except for the Coast Mountains and northern Cascades where it will remain clear. It’ll eventually clear up over the southern Cascades and Sierras, while snowfalls ramp up over Utah, Colorado Arizona and New Mexico later in the day.

Monday 18 Feb:

Snow flurries over Idaho, Montana & Wyoming will eventually clear, while more vigorous snow showers farther south along the Rockies abate. Canada and the Sierras should be mostly clear.

Tuesday 19 Feb

A trough coming off the Pacific will kick off snowfalls over the Coast Mountains early in the day, and then spread through the Cascades shortly after, followed by lighter falls over Idaho and the Canadian Rockies later. Any remaining flurries over Utah, Arizona and New Mexico will clear, but they will linger over Colorado till late.

Wednesday 20 Feb:

The trough may spin up into a low and take a southerly excursion, spread light-moderate snowfalls farther south to the Sierras and southern portion of the American Rockies later in the day. In this scenario it will eventually clear up over the Coast Mountains and Cascades, while easing over the northern half of the Rockies.

Extended Outlook:

If the southerly track of the low is to be followed, snowfalls over the Sierras and southern half of the Rockies should gradually clear next Thursday or Friday to be replaced by high pressure. Meanwhile a low should approach from the Pacific or Gulf of Alaska with Canadian resorts and the Cascades inline for a good dumping, followed by Idaho and Montana later next weekend.

Friday 28 September

Synoptic Outlook:

Well guys and gals, the end is nigh. After this weekend, some resorts will close their doors on what has been an epic season. Other resorts will carry on the good fight until next weekend, the 7^thof October. Today is my last forecast of the season… sob… then I will be heading into the backcountry to eke out some last turns before hanging up my six ski boots for good… or at least until the northern hemisphere starts dumping snow.

Warm northwesterlies are currently blowing over the Aussie Alps ahead of a cold front, which will slowly inch its way over us tonight, bringing snow showers and cold southerly winds. Snow accumulations will only be in the order of 2-5cm, which isn’t much but will provide nice surface conditions for one last hoorah of the season. The sun will come out later on Saturday as high pressure builds and will see us through Sunday and Monday.

Image Of The Day:

Not too bad a day up the hill today. A wee bit of snow will fall tonight into early Saturday morning, making surface conditions mint for the lucky last weekend at some resorts. Source:: Metservice (vandilised by the Grasshopper)

Friday 28 September:

A fine start, but cloud will build will build from afternoon as strong to gale NW winds ease. Snow showers will come in from the south tonight and overnight.

Saturday 29 September:

Snow showers will clear by midday, then the sun will come out to play. Freezing southerly winds gradually easing.

Sunday 30 September:

Sun and fun for your Sunday, with a chilly start and light winds.

Monday 1 October:

Slip slop slap and shred. Temps will swelter as the sun blazes with hardly a breath of wind.

Extended Outlook:

Northerly winds will kick in on Tuesday, bringing in a little cloud, then it’ll swing to the NW and strengthen on Wednesday with a spot of wet stuff falling on us. The wet stuff will really come down on Thursday as a front hits with temps too warm for snow. However, we might get a wee dusting early next Friday as colder air reaches us. We should have settled weather next weekend as a ridge digs in to the south.

That’s all from the Grasshopper for this season. I’ll see you all again once the northern hemisphere kicks off. If you have a question or feedback for me, hit me up on facebook.

Friday 28 September

Synoptic Outlook:

Well guys and gals, the end is nigh. Within a couple of weeks resorts will close their doors on what has been an epic season. Today’s forecast will be my last for the season… sob… but as you will see, a tonne of snow is yet to fall on Aotearoa, which will see the season go out with a bang! After that, I will head into the backcountry to eke out some last turns before hanging up my six ski boots for good… well, at least until the northern hemisphere starts dumping snow.

It’s a chilly start to a mostly fine day thanks to the ridge that’s lounging over us. However, the atmosphere is a little unstable and will kick up some snow showers over Ruapehu this afternoon. The ridge will move off to the north on Saturday, clearing the way for an active cold front to slowly work its way up the South Island. This front will dump a serious amount of powder onto the Southern Lakes during Saturday, then Canterbury during Sunday as it spins up into a low. Accumulations will be in the realm of 20-30cm or more! The low will then drift up the west coast on Monday, while snow falls on Ruapehu and a weak ridge affects the South Island.

Image Of The Day:

A nice day to be on the slopes today, thanks to the sunny ridge. However, watch out for thunderstorms and snow showers on Ruapehu this afternoon. Epic amounts of snow will fall over the next week or so and will see the season go out with a bang! Source:: Metservice (vandilised by the Grasshopper)

Friday 28 September:

Mostly sunny for the South Island with a NW breeze picking up. A fine start on Ruapehu with a westerly breeze, but there’ll be a few afternoon snow showers with possible thunderstorms.

Saturday 29 September:

It’ll start snowing over the Southern Lakes from late morning and there’ll be heavy falls later in the day. High cloud will build in Canterbury, and we might see a snow flurry or two. NW winds will rise to gale over the South Island. For Ruapehu, there’ll be some afternoon cloud and a snow flurry or two as well as a westerly breeze.

Sunday 30 September:

Snow falling across the South Island, but it’ll gradually clear later in the day. N-NW winds will be blowing a gale in Canterbury. It’ll be rather cloud on Ruapehu with the odd snow shower from afternoon as NW winds strengthen.

Monday 1 October:

Mostly fine for the South Island with light winds. Snow on Ruapehu will ease around midday as gale NW winds ease, then it’ll return at night.

Extended Outlook:

The low will be weak as it crosses the North Island during Tuesday, but we’ll still have a hefty dump of fresh powder on Ruapehu in the order of 15-20cm. Also on Tuesday, yet another cold front will brush the South Island, giving us a nice wee dusting of freshies. NW winds will kick in on Wednesday and clear any muck away so we can shred all this new pow pow. Another frontal system should trundle up the country from late Thursday or next Friday, with snow possibly falling through next weekend, yikes!

That’s all from the Grasshopper. Wanna keep your finger on the pulse of all things snow? Join my weekly email list by filling in the box below. If you have a question or feedback for me, hit me up on facebook.

Japan Forecast – Good snowfalls Saturday, warm temps and rain Tuesday & Wednesday

Thursday 14^th February (Japan time)

Ten-day snow accumulations showing a relatively slow week ahead by Japanese standards, with 25-45cm on the cards, as well as warm temps and rain on Tuesday and Wednesday Source:: windy.com

Ten day totals this week should lie in the range of 25-45cm for most resorts, with up to 60cm on more exposed terrain of central Honshu. Most of this will fall during a good dump on Saturday, with just snow showers or flurries interspersed with sunshine on other days. However, temps will skyrocket on Tuesday as winds turn to the south and a low will bring another one of those ghastly rain/wet snow events. Fortunately, freezing northerlies will again sweep over Japan in the wake of the low late Wednesday, with fresh snowfalls undoing the damage and giving us some respite before another potentially ominous system lines up from next Friday.

Thursday 14 Feb:

There is a steady stream of snow showers flying in on freezing N-NW winds. Winds and snowfalls will gradually ease over Honshu as a ridge builds.

Friday 15 Feb:

A high crosses over Honshu with mostly cloudy & calm conditions, while snow flurries on Hokkaido eventually peter out as NW winds swing around to the west.

Saturday 16 Feb:

A low in the Sea of Japan crosses the Tsugaru Strait between Honshu and Hokkaido, kicking off moderate-heavy snowfalls over Honshu as well as heralding in colder W-NW winds, which will blow a gale over the northern part of the island. Hokkaido will also receive a nice dusting during the morning and winds will be much lighter.

Sunday 17 Feb:

Snow flurries will come down throughout the day as NW winds continue. There’ll be more falling on Honshu, but a trough brushes Hokkaido at night and will drop a nice, tidy top-up on resorts there.

Monday 18 Feb:

The same trough will give Honshu a glancing blow with a nice dusting falling on northern parts before dawn. Any remaining flurries will clear during the morning as a high drifts onto Honshu, then we’ll see more and more sunshine through the afternoon.

Tuesday 19 Feb:

The high will drift out into the Pacific and winds will turn to the south as temperatures become positively balmy. The day will start out fine with just a bit of high cloud coming off a low that will be brewing up in the Yellow Sea. This same low will spread rainfall up Honshu during the latter half of the day as it wanders into the Sea of Japan, with wet slushy stuff falling on Hokkaido.

Wednesday 20 Feb:

The low deepens as it passes over Japan to ravage the North Pacific. Heavy rain will gradually ease over Honshu, and then turn to snow at night as cold N-NW winds hit. It’ll be a similar story for Hokkaido where wet slushy snow will turn to the lighter fluffier variety late in the day as freezing northerlies hit.

Extended Outlook:

We should have decent snowfalls into the early hours of next Thursday before high pressure builds and eases off those precious N-NW winds. After that, it doesn’t look like any real snowfalls are on the cards and we’re likely to see a warm system from the Yellow or East China Seas bring a rain event to south and central Honshu.

North American Forecast – Sierras about to pop and southern states burgeoning, while Canada goes hungry

Wednesday 13^th February (Pacific time)

Ten-day snow accumulations. The Sierras are so chocka-block you’d think they’re going to pop. The southern states are also burgeoning, while Canada is tightening its belt. Source:: windy.com

In a similar story to last week, the Sierras will continue to pig-out on massive snowfalls with ten-day accumulations maxing out around the 1.5-2m mark, most of which will fall over the next few days during the current storm. In light of this, Mammoth has announced they will stay open until July the 4th! The southern states of America will also get their fair share with accumulations reaching a half to a whole metre. Canada will be left hungry again with 15-25cm expected there, but up to 50cm in the Coast Mountains. However, this will mostly fall uniformly Thursday through Saturday, rather than one big dump, and should provide great conditions for a weekend shred.

Thursday 14 Feb:

The low system parked just off the coast of Oregon & Washington State continues to funnel a very strong SW flow over the Sierras. Temps will start out too warm, however, with heavy rain falling at lower elevations, but cold air wrapping around the low will gradually lower snow down to base levels with heavy accumulations piling up. It’ll be a similar story for the Cascades where less but still decent accumulations are expected. As the storms influence expands, snowfalls will spread north to the Coast Mountains and inland to the Rockies where there should also be some heavy falls.

Friday 15 Feb:

The storm continues as colder air piles in. Heavy falls will continue over central and southern parts of the Sierras with snow shower in the north. Snow showers or decent periods of snow will also come down over remaining areas.

Saturday 16 Feb:

The low system will weaken as it drifts inland, causing snowfalls to peter out over the southern half of the Rockies and the Coast mountains, while they mostly ease elsewhere.

Sunday 17 Feb:

Scattered snow showers for most areas, some of which may be heavy, except for the Coast Mountains and northern Cascades where it will remain clear. It’ll eventually clear up over the southern Cascades and Sierras, while snowfalls ramp up over Utah, Colorado Arizona and New Mexico later in the day.

Monday 18 Feb:

Snow flurries over Idaho, Montana & Wyoming will eventually clear, while more vigorous snow showers farther south along the Rockies abate. Canada and the Sierras should be mostly clear.

Tuesday 19 Feb

A trough coming off the Pacific will kick off snowfalls over the Coast Mountains early in the day, and then spread through the Cascades shortly after, followed by lighter falls over Idaho and the Canadian Rockies later. Any remaining flurries over Utah, Arizona and New Mexico will clear, but they will linger over Colorado till late.

Wednesday 20 Feb:

The trough may spin up into a low and take a southerly excursion, spread light-moderate snowfalls farther south to the Sierras and southern portion of the American Rockies later in the day. In this scenario it will eventually clear up over the Coast Mountains and Cascades, while easing over the northern half of the Rockies.

Extended Outlook:

If the southerly track of the low is to be followed, snowfalls over the Sierras and southern half of the Rockies should gradually clear next Thursday or Friday to be replaced by high pressure. Meanwhile a low should approach from the Pacific or Gulf of Alaska with Canadian resorts and the Cascades inline for a good dumping, followed by Idaho and Montana later next weekend.

North American Forecast – Sierras about to pop and southern states burgeoning, while Canada goes hungry

Wednesday 13^th February (Pacific time)

Ten-day snow accumulations. The Sierras are so chocka-block you’d think they’re going to pop. The southern states are also burgeoning, while Canada is tightening its belt. Source:: windy.com

In a similar story to last week, the Sierras will continue to pig-out on massive snowfalls with ten-day accumulations maxing out around the 1.5-2m mark, most of which will fall over the next few days during the current storm. In light of this, Mammoth has announced they will stay open until July the 4th! The southern states of America will also get their fair share with accumulations reaching a half to a whole metre. Canada will be left hungry again with 15-25cm expected there, but up to 50cm in the Coast Mountains. However, this will mostly fall uniformly Thursday through Saturday, rather than one big dump, and should provide great conditions for a weekend shred.

Thursday 14 Feb:

The low system parked just off the coast of Oregon & Washington State continues to funnel a very strong SW flow over the Sierras. Temps will start out too warm, however, with heavy rain falling at lower elevations, but cold air wrapping around the low will gradually lower snow down to base levels with heavy accumulations piling up. It’ll be a similar story for the Cascades where less but still decent accumulations are expected. As the storms influence expands, snowfalls will spread north to the Coast Mountains and inland to the Rockies where there should also be some heavy falls.

Friday 15 Feb:

The storm continues as colder air piles in. Heavy falls will continue over central and southern parts of the Sierras with snow shower in the north. Snow showers or decent periods of snow will also come down over remaining areas.

Saturday 16 Feb:

The low system will weaken as it drifts inland, causing snowfalls to peter out over the southern half of the Rockies and the Coast mountains, while they mostly ease elsewhere.

Sunday 17 Feb:

Scattered snow showers for most areas, some of which may be heavy, except for the Coast Mountains and northern Cascades where it will remain clear. It’ll eventually clear up over the southern Cascades and Sierras, while snowfalls ramp up over Utah, Colorado Arizona and New Mexico later in the day.

Monday 18 Feb:

Snow flurries over Idaho, Montana & Wyoming will eventually clear, while more vigorous snow showers farther south along the Rockies abate. Canada and the Sierras should be mostly clear.

Tuesday 19 Feb

A trough coming off the Pacific will kick off snowfalls over the Coast Mountains early in the day, and then spread through the Cascades shortly after, followed by lighter falls over Idaho and the Canadian Rockies later. Any remaining flurries over Utah, Arizona and New Mexico will clear, but they will linger over Colorado till late.

Wednesday 20 Feb:

The trough may spin up into a low and take a southerly excursion, spread light-moderate snowfalls farther south to the Sierras and southern portion of the American Rockies later in the day. In this scenario it will eventually clear up over the Coast Mountains and Cascades, while easing over the northern half of the Rockies.

Extended Outlook:

If the southerly track of the low is to be followed, snowfalls over the Sierras and southern half of the Rockies should gradually clear next Thursday or Friday to be replaced by high pressure. Meanwhile a low should approach from the Pacific or Gulf of Alaska with Canadian resorts and the Cascades inline for a good dumping, followed by Idaho and Montana later next weekend.