Good morning skiers and borders. If you haven’t been up riding or sliding yet, don’t worry, it’s only going to get better. What a great start to the season.

The snow level across Oregon drops to its lowest level of the season this week. Snow will accumulate as a low as 1,000 feet Monday morning and Tuesday, but by then we’re drying out. Here’s what it all means for Oregon’s ski areas and skiers:

If you can get onto the mountain Monday, do it. This will be a GREAT early season powder day. The low snow level and increasingly dry air means great quality snow. And the quantity isn’t lacking either. There’s already been 6-15 inches of new snow at Oregon ski areas this weekend. Another 6-12 inches falls Sunday night and Monday, which is why Monday is my POWDER PICK. It’ll be colder than it’s been all year with resort temperatures in the teens, so be ready for that. Tuesday and Wednesday provide bluebird opportunities around the state. Morning low temperatures will be down near single digits, but these will be excellent days.

For powder hounds, new snow arrives state-wide again Thursday into Friday. The snow level will lift off the floor Thursday but only to about 3,000 to 3,500 feet, so it’s still powder time. We should see significant snow across the state at the end of the week, with another 12″ or more in the Cascades and Siskiyous and 6-10 inches in eastern Oregon.

And the news stays, well, fluffy. Long range charts indicates a series of cold storms will continue to hit the Northwest, and none of them push the snow level over 4,000 feet. So the powder will continue to fly and the bases continue to build.

This promises to deliver some of the best Christmas to New Years ski conditions Oregon has seen in years.

Happy trails and turns,
Matt Zaffino
KGW TV Chief Meteorologist