On the heels of one storm comes a persistent snowy pattern for the western U.S. that will drop more than three feet of snow on many mountain ranges, including here in Colorado. The WPC forecast (set to the 50th percentile which symbolizes the most likely, median, totals) above indicates off the chart snowfall totals for California's Sierras, parts of Utah, and Colorado's San Juan Mountains. And, this is just through Friday. The northern Rockies from Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, into Canada will h

As we've discussed for some time now, the western ridge will finally begin to break down this weekend and allow for a much stormier weather pattern to set up across the west. Take a look at the 500mb pattern across the United States today: Compared with early next week: Quite an impressive flip, and one we've been waiting for for some time. What this will equate to is a period of very wet weather across California and the Pacific Northwest. And, unlike some of the more active periods earl

As we near the end of January it seems prudent to take stock of how we're doing with snowpack in the west this super El Niño year . The answer is, much better than last year, but more rain and snow is needed to overcome persistent drought conditions across much of the western United States. To begin, here's a look at the latest drought monitor from the third week of January. For our Colorado friends, things continue to look good across the state. A few areas of "Abnormally Dry" s

Welcome EC, to winters in the west of late The last month has been what many would call a "torch" in the east, leaving those who have been eagerly anticipating another brutal east coast winter wondering why Godzilla won't cooperate! To which I point out two important facts: the winter "season" is very young, and it's about damn time the west sees some cooler temperatures and snow – we should all enjoy it while it lasts. All it will take

It's been a grim start to 2015 in the western US when it comes to snow, but recent rainfall has been beneficial The best rains have actually fallen this February. I want to start by showing you the fall and winter precipitation starting in September running through the end of January, before we get to this shifting pattern of February. Notice the fall and winter precipition anomolies across the country. Again, this is