A high wind event 4/3-4/4 deposited desert dust on Colorado’s snowpack. This seems to occur now every Spring. Dirty snow accelerates the melting of the snowpack by lowering albedo. I co-authored a peer-reviewed article on Colorado’s Dirty Snowpack in 2010. Below, MODIS visible satellite shows the brown tint to the snowpack in some places. Dust […]
Category: Forecasting
Pattern through 4/20
Tomer’s Take: The storm track favors the PNW/BC/Northern Tier. One storm system drags a cold front with snow through UT, WY, CO, MT 4/12-4/14. Pattern shifts back to the PNW/BC through 4/20. March 2023 Pattern Looking back, March 2023 was a giant for Utah with record precipitation (dark green). In Colorado, the trend is clear. […]
Warm surge then snow through 4/19
Tomer’s Take: Avalanche warnings are in effect for the Wasatch Front. Freezing levels rise rapidly next 48 hours. The storm track favors the PNW/BC/Northern Tier through 4/12. This storm systems breaks loose on/after 4/13 and runs through UT, WY, CO. Forecast Freezing Levels Wasatch: 4/10: 13300′ <–24/7 above freezing 4/11: 13100′ <– 24/7 above freezing […]
Freezing levels surge then new snow through 4/18
Tomer’s Take: Freezing levels will rise rapidly 4/9-4/12 with widespread 50-degree high temps at 10,000 feet for CA, UT, and CO. My forecast video 4/9: Forecast Freezing Level Wasatch: 4/9: 12000′ 4/10: 13300′ <–24/7 above freezing 4/11: 13100′ <–24/7 above freezing 4/12: 12100′ 4/13: 6600′ CO Central Mountain Zone: 4/9: 11500′ 4/10: 14000′ 4/11: 14400′ […]
Wasatch Freezing Levels rising rapidly; Avalanche risk
Tomer’s Take: All-time record snowfall in Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons of 800″+ has setup both canyons with avalanche-rich conditions. These slides are running all the way to HWY210 and the valley floor. Now, air temps will warm quickly with maximum freezing levels far exceeding even the highest peaks in the Wasatch Range. Forecast Freezing […]
Western pattern shift; Spring skiing
Tomer’s Take: The Western storm track continues shifting north favoring the PNW/BC/Northern Tier. The longer range jet stream is low velocity with high pressure ridging. Spring skiing inbound. My forecast video 4/8: Current Setup Water vapor satellite shows an area of low pressure hitting the PNW/BC/Northern Tier. This is the dominate flow. Forecast Pattern Forecast […]
Snow forecast through 4/16
Tomer’s Take: After an active snow period the Western pattern is shifting. The jet moves north through 4/16 and favors the PNW, BC, and Northern Tier. There is one cut-off low on/after 4/12 that might spread moderate to heavy snow into UT and CO 4/13-4/15. Programming Note: I’ll start switching over to Spring/Summer forecasting soon […]
One more storm through 4/5 then pattern shifts
Tomer’s Take: I’m forecasting one more significant storm systems for the West through 4/5 then the pattern shifts with more high pressure ridging and storm track shifts north. The big snow bullseye is the Wasatch late 4/2-4/5 with over three feet in my forecast. My forecast video 4/1:
800 inch all-time record; Snow forecast through 4/8
Tomer’s Take: I’m forecasting two storm systems through 4/8 plus a cut-off low riding the southern branch. This low could sit and spin for a couple days with snow for CO/NM. Mammoth Mountain set their all-time snow record now at 702″ for the season at the Base. Alta and the Wasatch continue to get pounded. […]
Two storm systems through 4/8; Forecast totals decrease
Tomer’s Take: A change in the forecast has occurred. Instead of three storm systems, I’m now seeing two storm systems through 4/8. This will decrease overall snowfall amounts. The biggest change is to CA’s forecast totals, which have decreased significantly. Current Setup Water vapor satellite shows three areas of low pressure but only two make […]