Over a foot of snow has fallen in Tahoe over the last five days, and over two feet has fallen in Colorado, helping a good deal more terrain to open just in time for the holidays (Vail’s back bowls will open on Saturday).
However the big story over the next week will be a magnificent storm to slam into Tahoe from Friday through Monday, and it could bring over five feet of snow for some areas. One big parent storm will sit off the west coast and smaller “mini storms” will rotate counter clockwise around the parent storm. Each mini storm will bring energy and moisture toward Tahoe and the snow machine will crank. Totals at Kirkwood could be the highest, though at least a few feet of snow will fall at Heavenly and Northstar as well. It’s going to be an amazing weekend, but keep an eye on the forecast so that you can time your arrival before the heaviest snow or during a break in the storm (there will be a few). With the snow and wind, some higher areas of the mountains may not open for a few days, but once they do early next week, well, hello powder! Also, this is a cold storm with snow all the way down to lake level, so NO need to worry about the rain/snow line!
For Colorado, there will be a break in the weather for the next few days after about five days of consistent snow. By late in the weekend, the big parent storm off the west coast will move east and head into Colorado on Monday night in Tuesday. Yes, this means snow for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, so perhaps open the presents a little earlier on Tuesday so you can get out and make first chair. There’s no better way to celebrate the holidays than with friends and family on a ski lift!
Here’s the snow forecast for the next five days – wow!
JOEL GRATZ
Meteorologist Joel Gratz is the founder and CEO of opensnow.com and is based in Boulder, Colo.