FOUS11 KWBC 140802
QPFHSD

Probabilistic Heavy Snow and Icing Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
302 AM EST Thu Nov 14 2024

Valid 12Z Thu Nov 14 2024 - 12Z Sun Nov 17 2024

...Western U.S....
Days 1-3...

A pair of Pacific storm systems will produce heavy mountain snow
from the West Coast to the Northern Rockies over the next few days.
Today, broad scale upper level ascent out ahead of a longwave
trough off the West Coast will also direct Pacific moisture at the
Northwest and northern California. Periods of snow will occur for
many of the Northwest U.S. mountain ranges which include (but are
not limited to) the Cascades, Siskiyou, northern Sierra Nevada,
Blue, Sawtooth, Bitterroots, Idaho Panhandle, and northern Montana
Mountains). As a potent upper level trough approaches California
Thursday night (500mb heights below the 2.5 climatological
percentile via NAEFS), snow levels will fall to as low as 4,000ft
in the Sierra Nevada and as low as 6,000ft in the San Gabriel and
San Bernadino of southern California. The heaviest snowfall will
be mainly confined to elevations at/above 6,000ft in the Sierra
Nevada. By Friday morning, the upper level trough will advance
through the Great Basin and into the Rockies by Friday afternoon.
Periods of snow will move through northern Nevada and into the
northern Rockies with the Tetons, Wind River, and Absaroka ranges
seeing the heaviest snowfall Friday evening. Snow will also pick up
in intensity along the Wasatch, Uinta, and Big Horn ranges Friday
night and into Saturday morning. WPC PWPF shows moderate-high
chances (50-70%) for >4" of snowfall along the Sierra Nevada above
6,000ft, the northern Great Basin above 7,000ft, and the Absaroka,
Tetons, and Wind River ranges above 8,000ft.

Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest will see periods of snow gradually
diminish throughout the day today with a fairly tranquil day
weather-wise on tap for Friday. By Saturday, the next Pacific
trough approaches with a stronger IVT (>500 kg/m/s, or above the
90th climatological percentile via NAEFS) will direct another plume
of Pacific moisture at the region. Strong synoptic-scale support
will also be present as 200-500mb winds over western Washington top
the 90th climatological percentile. As the warm front arrives
Saturday night, snow levels will rise to as high as 5,500ft in some
cases, but once the cold front pushes through on Sunday, snow
levels will crash and result in precipitation changing over to
heavy snow Sunday afternoon in the Olympics and Cascades. Through
12Z Sunday, the northern Cascades and the Idaho Panhandle above
5,000ft sport high chances (>70%) for snowfall >6" with a low
chance (10-30%) for >12" in the tallest peaks of the northern
Washington Cascades.

...Northern Maine...
Days 1-2...

An inverted trough revolving around the northern flank of a
retrograding storm system in the northwest Atlantic will direct a
stream of low-level moisture back west towards northern New England
late Thursday night into Friday. The air-mass over northern New
England (particularly Maine) will be sufficiently cold and dry
enough for wet-bulb temperatures within the boundary layer to
remain below freezing for at least a few hours. Strong easterly
mid-level flow with air-mass origins over the Atlantic will lead to
warm-air advection (WAA) that causes a >0C nose between 850-750mb
Friday morning. This setup will result in periods of sleet/freezing
rain over northern Maine and possibly into far northern New
Hampshire. WPC PWPF does depict some spotty areas with low chances
(10-30%) for ice accumulations >0.1" in portions of the North Woods
and Central Highlands of northern Maine. One notable location with
those potential ice accumulations includes Baxter State Park. These
icy conditions could result in Minor Impacts according to the
Probabilistic WSSI with low chances (10-30%) through Friday
afternoon. The primary impacts would be icy roads in some areas
that could lead to slick travel conditions.

Mullinax



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