Weekly North America Forecast – Quiet, Dry Spell Ends as Storm Rolls Down from the Northwest
Written Wednesday afternoon, 4th December (Pacific Standard Time)
After big snowfalls through mid-November, the North American snow season got off to an incredible start. Things dried up late in the month, and we’ve since had a long run of fine, bluebird days.
The dry spell will finally be broken on Friday and this weekend as a storm rolls down from the northwest. Temperatures will start warm with elevated snow levels in western Canada and the Cascades, but as the storm spreads southwards through the Rockies, things will turn much colder.
The storm will eventually dry and clear out Wednesday, leaving mainly light to moderate accumulations, but with heavier totals possible in British Columbia, the northern US Rockies and the Front Range of Colorado.
Thursday 5th to Sunday 8th December
The quiet, dry spell over western North America will finally break on Friday with a storm rolling down from Alaska over the Canadian west and into the northern Cascades. Warm winds from the southwest will bring moderate to heavy falls of rain and high-level snow.
Fortunately, temperatures and snow levels will drop over the weekend as the storm spreads southeast over the southern Cascades and northern US Rockies where mostly light-moderate totals of around 10-30+cm are expected. Snowfalls will gradually dry out from the north and west on Sunday due to this colder airmass, while light snowfalls also reach down into northern Utah and Colorado that evening.
Monday 9th to Wednesday 11th December
On Monday and Tuesday, as the cold airmass continues to push southwards, lingering light, scattered snowfalls over the Rockies of Canada and the northern US will continue to spread southwards through Colorado and into New Mexico. The highest totals for this period will likely show up along the Front Range of Colorado, where up to 20-40cm could fall.
The North American west will once again dry out on Wednesday as high pressure settles in for some cool, sunny days.
That’s all from me today, folks. See you back here same time next week for another rundown of all the highlights and snowlights of the following week.
Grasshopper
