After the December drought and the recent Arctic Blast, winter 2013-2014 finally decides to bring it on big time. And I mean BRING it. Yes, we’ve had some epic days with the cold Arctic snow, and those are days to treasure for sure. But the run of storms we’re just heading in to will overwhelm the quality of snow last week with a heapin’ helping of stormy goodness. And it will not be without its own fluffy qualities, as the snow level will drop Sunday and stay down for a while.

So here goes:
Powder Pick #1 Thursday night’s storm will be followed by cold air Friday, which will drop the snow level down to about 3,000 feet. I’m thinking 4-8” new Mt. Hood and Anthony Lakes, 6-12” new Mt. Bachelor and Willamette Pass, and 4-8” new Mt. Ashland. Mt. Ashland may not get enough snow to open for this weekend, but there’s a really good chance they’ll be able to open NEXT weekend.

Powder Pick #2 Sunday. A storm Saturday night will bring lower snow levels in for Sunday. Again, 4-8” new Mt. Hood and Anothony Lakes, but this storm will hit central and southern Oregon the hardest. Look for a 12” + at Mt Bachelor, and Willamette Pass, and hopefully that much as Mt Ashland too.

Powder Pick #3 Monday THROUGH Wednesday. It may just snow non-stop, with the snow level stabilizing between 2,000 and 3,000 feet. This is a pattern that will dump feet in the Cascades, and again, the heaviest snow will likely be in central and southern Oregon, but all areas will see plenty of good cold snow!

There will be wind with all of these storms, and I don’t really see any bluebird days on the way. But we’ve had plenty of those. Time to bring on big time snowfall. The Oregon Cascades will probably pick up four feet of snow in the next week. No more obstacles, atmospheric or slope-side.

Happy trails and turns,
Matt Zaffino

*photo courtesy of Pete Alport Photography