Greetings, lovers of snow and all things steep, fast and fluffy. Great news to kick off the holiday weekend: new snow!

The storm coming in Friday night has a good batch of cold air behind it. That does a couple thing for us:  increases the quality of our snow and in this case, the quantity too. The snow level will drop to 2,000 feet Friday night and then 1,000 feet Saturday. On Mt Hood, we’re looking at 6-10” new by Saturday morning, then another 4-8” during the day.  That means freshies Saturday. The kind of day where you make a run and by the time you ride back up to the same place, your tracks are covered up again. Sure it’ll be a little windy, but the snow should still be excellent.

Another weaker and somewhat warmer storm comes Sunday . But the snow level only goes up to 3,000 feet by Monday. The Cascades will see another 2-4” Sunday and again on Monday, so while the new snow won’t be as deep as what we get Friday night or Saturday, it’ll keep things fresh.  From Friday night to Sunday night, Mt Hood areas will likely end up with about two feet of new snow.

Southern and eastern Oregon will also do well with these storms, especially eastern Oregon. They are cold enough to produce some really great powder over at Anthony Lakes, and at Mt Bachelor.

Long range, I see a warming trend for the middle of next week, but also a drop off in precipitation, so conditions should be able to hold their own as the snow level climbs to between 4,500 and 7,000 feet at the middle of the week. But the timing is actually really good, because it looks like another strong and cold storm will arrive in the Northwest Thursday night or Friday. I think there’s a good chance the snow level will again drop to about 1,000 feet on Friday, with a good shot at another foot, or more, of new snow in the Thursday night to Friday night time frame. And that sets the stage for another epic weekend of powder skiing in the Cascades.

And just think, winter’s only a little more than half over. Lots of great powder days ahead, but try not to squander the ones in our immediate future. The way this winter/La Nina has gone, it’s a dice roll as to how the rest of it will go.

Have you been skiing lately? Get up there if you can, the Cascades have done well over the last week and half, basically doubling its snowpack.

Now on to the goodies:

Skiing will improve throughout the day Thursday as the snow level drop to about 3,000 feet by late in the day.  Mt Hood will see 3-8" of new snow by the end of the day. And there will be some sunbreaks thrown in during the afternoon as a precursor of what's ahead.

There will be more snow to the north Mt Hood in the Washington Cascades and to the south from Mt Bachelor to Mt Ashland. This is because there are two parts to the incoming storm, one dropping south from the Gulf of Alaska and one coming in with lots of moisture from the west. All areas, however will see the snow end Thursday night as colder air and a clearing sky settle over the region.

The clearing Thursday night sets the stage for some great BLUE BIRD ski days Friday and Saturday. Serious sunshine. While the valleys are fogged in. Use this as leverage to get reluctant family members or friends to join you on the mountain for some sunshine. And skiing.

But don’t be alarmed, powder hounds. This is not the return of weeks of dry weather. A new storm will bring fresh snow Sunday afternoon into Monday, with more storms coming Tuesday and beyond. The snow level won't be super low, but it WILL be low enough to ensure snow at the ski areas, basically bouncing around between 3,000 and 5,000 feet depending on which part of the storm cycle we're in.

Happy Trails and Turns,

Matt Zaffino
KGW Chief Meteorologist