Big Picture (Tuesday to Friday):

Snow showers on Monday produced 2-8 cm (1-3") of snow across the Coast Range of Southwest BC, while snow showers were more isolated across the Interior with only a few resorts picking up minor accumulations.

A similar pattern will remain in place on Tuesday, then a storm will arrive mid-week with more widespread snow expected.

A low pressure system will approach on Wednesday with snow picking during the day across the Coast Range and overnight for the Interior. Southern-most areas near the U.S. border will be most favored and a piece of the jet stream will break off and move into Southern BC as well.

This local jet stream maximum, known as a jet streak, could lead to some localized bands of heavy snow on Wednesday night.

On Thursday, snow will become less widespread on the backside of the storm. The center of low pressure will start to track southward (paralleling the West Coast of the U.S.) but lingering moisture in a southwest flow along with an unstable atmosphere will result in convective show showers re-developing throughout Southern BC.

This activity will be convective in nature (sun heating up the lower atmosphere and causing moist air to rise) and more showery, which could lead to some randomization in snow totals on Thursday.

Overall, this doesn't look like a huge storm, but we could see some solid snow totals and winds are also not going to be a major issue which is a plus.

Let's dive into the details by region...

Forecast for the Coast Range & Whistler:

Tuesday – Mostly cloudy skies with off-and-on snow showers can be expected, while the sun will break through occasionally. Snow totals will range from a trace to 8 cm (trace-3") with snow levels ranging from 900-1200 meters (3-4k feet).

Wednesday – Snow will begin during the morning hours, then will become heavier and more widespread during the afternoon and overnight hours. The heaviest snow (and rain) is expected across the North Shore Mountains and across Southern/Central Vancouver Island with comparatively lighter snow around Whistler. 

Snow levels will range from 750-1050 meters (2.5-3.5k feet) with the highest snow levels in the afternoon and the lowest snow levels during the morning and overnight hours. The North Shore Mountains could see rain mix in at the base on Wednesday afternoon with heavy/wet snow up high. Whistler will also see a rain/snow mix on the lower mountain.

Thursday – An unstable onshore flow in the wake of a weak overnight cold front will result in show showers re-developing during the daytime hours and persisting into Thursday night. Snow levels will generally remain in the 750-1050 meter range (2.5-3.5k feet).

Snowfall on Thursday will not be as heavy or widespread compared to Wednesday, but there could be some locally heavy snowfall rates at times.

Snow Totals – I think that average snow levels will be just low enough for the North Shore resorts to see some of the deepest totals with this storm, while Mt. Washington will also be right up there. Whistler will pick up 10-20 cm (4-8") on the northern fringe of the better moisture.

Projection from a blend of weather models:

Skiing Conditions – Thursday morning will offer the best and deepest conditions overall, while Friday morning could feature some leftovers as well. This snow will be medium to high density (depending on elevation) which will help to cover up old melt/freeze crusts, but you may still encounter the crust underneath in some areas.

Friday – We will see just enough lingering moisture for additional light snow showers/flurries, but any additional accumulations will be minimal. Temperatures will start to warm up on Friday afternoon compared to previous days with some peeks of sunshine also expected.

Forecast for the Interior & Powder Highway:

Tuesday – A mix of sun and clouds can be expected with scattered light snow showers/flurries possible. Any accumulations will be minimal, ranging from a trace to a few centimeters. Snow levels will range from 1050-1350 meters (3.5-4.5k feet).

Wednesday – Dry conditions and mostly cloudy skies will prevail for much of the day, then snow will begin across southern and western areas (Whitewater/Red and points westward) on Wednesday afternoon. Snow will become more widespread throughout the Interior on Wednesday night.

A jet streak (local jet stream wind maximum) moving into South Central BC should help to enhance snowfall rates across this region, especially around Whitewater, Red, and Big White. 

Snow levels will start around 1200 meters (4k feet) on Wednesday afternoon before lowering to 900 meters (3k feet) by late Wednesday night.

Thursday – A weak cold front will move through late Wednesday night, and on the backside of this feature, lingering moisture and an unstable atmosphere will result in snow showers re-developing.

Snow showers will be more hit-or-miss in nature but may favor eastern portions of the Interior as the jet streak tracks across the eastern portion of the province, which could help to enhance snow shower activity.

Snow levels will start around 900 meters (3k feet) in the morning before rising to 1200-1350 meters (4-4.5k feet) in the afternoon. Snow levels will drop to 600-900 meters (2-3k feet) on Thursday night as snow shower activity wanes.

Snow Totals – I'm expecting Whitewater, Red, and Big White to see the deepest totals, while Fernie and Revelstoke will be next in line.

Most areas will see their highest totals on Wednesday night, while Thursday is somewhat of a wild card with most areas picking up light additional accumulations, while there could be some isolated higher totals due to locally heavy snow showers.

Projection from a blend of weather models:

Skiing Conditions – Thursday morning will offer the best and deepest conditions in most areas, while Thursday afternoon and Friday morning could feature some leftovers as well (perhaps more so for eastern areas).

This snow will be medium to high density (depending on elevation) which will help to cover up old melt/freeze crusts, but you may still encounter the crusts underneath in some areas. Whitewater and Red will probably see the softest conditions overall as they picked up some nice snow totals this past weekend and thus will have a "head start" at least in north-facing and sun-protected terrain. 

Friday – We will have just enough lingering moisture with an unstable atmosphere for additional light snow showers or flurries to re-develop during the day. Additional accumulations will be light (trace-5 cm) while the greatest uncertainty is cloud cover and whether or not the sun comes out, which could quickly impact snow conditions.

Snow levels will start out around 600 meters (2k feet) on Friday morning before rising to 900-1200 meters (3-4k feet) on Friday afternoon. 

Forecast for Northern BC:

The track of this storm is likely going to end up just too far south for northern resorts such as Shames, Hudson Bay, and Powder King to see anything more than flurries or light dusting. The Central Coast Range (Bella Coola) is only expected to see light totals, while the Cariboo Range could see moderate to locally heavy totals, though this will be somewhat dependent on Thursday's hit-or-miss snow shower activity. 

A warmer and drier pattern will take hold from Saturday (March 30) through Monday (April 1) as a ridge of high pressure builds over BC. As a result, we will see a transition back to spring skiing conditions.

The next chance of precipitation looks to arrive around the Tuesday-Thursday (April 2-4) timeframe. Warm air at the onset of this pattern could result in high snow levels initially with rain for many ski areas, before eventually changing over to snow as colder air arrives and snow levels drop.

Early indications are that the storm around April 2nd-4th will be on the weaker side with snow (and rain) being more showery in nature, but this is still 7+ days away so confidence is inherently low.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Wednesday (March 27).

Alan Smith 

NEW: Snow Ratio Forecast

You can now get a good idea of the upcoming snow quality for the next storm via our new "Snow Ratio" forecast for any location in OpenSnow.

When we talk about snow quality, such as “light and fluffy” or “heavy and wet”, we are talking about the snow-to-liquid ratio. The higher the snow-to-liquid ratio, the lighter the snow quality, and vice-versa.

1. Go to any location screen and tap the "Snow Summary" tab.
2. Scroll down to the 5-day hourly or 10-day forecast section.
3. View the 5-day hourly or daily "Snow Ratio" forecast for the next 10 days.

10:1 will be fun but will feel a little heavy. 15:1 will offer some faceshots and feel pretty light. 20:1 will be incredibly light, almost like skiing through nothing but air.

This new feature is currently available with the latest version of the OpenSnow iOS app installed (App Store > OpenSnow > Update) or on the OpenSnow website (OpenSnow.com). It will be available in the OpenSnow Android app soon.

View → Snow Ratio Forecast