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Recent Snowfall:

A storm brought heavy snow to Canada and Washington over the weekend with lighter snow in Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. The deepest snow totals were reported across the Interior of British Columbia and Alberta with Revelstoke picking up 18 inches (45 cm).

Here are some of the more impressive two-day snow totals, ending Sunday AM (December 8):

• 18" - Revelstoke
• 13" - Kicking Horse
• 13" - Stevens Pass
• 12" - Fernie
• 11" - Lake Louise
• 11" - Mt. Baker

New England also received more snow over the weekend, especially in Vermont, with 2-day snow totals (as of Sunday AM) including 14" at Smuggler's Notch, 10" at Stowe, and 10" at Killington.

Early Week Weather Pattern:

The pattern will stay active across North America early this week, but it won't be particularly impressive from a snowfall perspective.

• A storm will weaken as it moves across the Central Rockies with just some light snow showers for parts of Colorado and Wyoming. The Rockies will see a significant cooldown, however, as a cold front moves through from the north/northwest.
  
  
• The East will see a stronger storm, but a warm front will move through from south to north with much warmer air behind the front. This will result in rain across the Mid-Atlantic, while New England will see precipitation start as snow before changing over to rain. The Upper Midwest will see light snow showers in the colder sector of the storm.
  
  
• Even Alaska will see a stormy but mild pattern with a mix of rain and snow expected, depending on elevation.

Forecast for Mon (Dec 9) to Tue (Dec 10):

Snowfall will generally be light and spotty across the Rockies and Northern Great Lakes early this week. New England will see moderate snowfall on Monday before changing over to rain on Tuesday.

Forecast for Wed (Dec 11) to Thu (Dec 12):

A storm will move across the East with precipitation starting as rain. However, a strong cold front will move through Wednesday PM-Thursday AM, resulting in a changeover to snow.

A weak storm will bring light snow showers to parts of the Northwest, while Alaska will see more heavy snow in mid to high-elevation terrain and rain over lower elevation terrain.

Forecast for Fri (Dec 13) to Sat (Dec 14):

A storm will move into the West on Friday night-Saturday, but confidence in the storm track is low with some models projecting moisture well south into California and Tahoe (such as the one pictured below), while others are projecting most of the moisture to remain further north in the Pacific Northwest. 

The East will see a break in the pattern, while a weak storm could bring light rain/snow showers to the Great Lakes.

Outlook for Sun (Dec 15) to Thu (Dec 19):

The pattern looks unsettled but not particularly exciting from a snowfall perspective during this period. Temperatures will also be warmer than normal for most of North America.

Weaker storms are projected to move across the Western U.S. with modest snowfall potential, though Western Canada could potentially see better/more consistent snowfall. The East could also see more storms with both rain and snow possible. 

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Wednesday (December 11).

Alan Smith 

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