This article first written Sunday Night Feb 23, 2014.
The ski video is from Monday.
The thaw is over. Winter Round 3 has begun.(first thaw Jan 10-14, second thaw Feb 19-23.)
We start the week with no major storms in the lower 48 United States of America.Though the Daytona 500 was interrupted by a little tornado warning Sunday, that was with a wave of low pressure on a front.Also in Ohio and Kentucky there were a few fat snow flakes with a wave of low pressure, on a separate front.Yet a third front has stalled in Montana where winter storm warning's are in effect due to, you guessed it, a wave of low pressure on a front.These three fronts represent three branches of the jet stream; the sub tropical, polar, and arctic.As long as the fronts remain separate from one another we will have no major storms here at Jay Peak resort.But what about ski areas, how about some lake or upslope snow?
Yes, we get both this week, but not enough to call it a snow storm.The Florida weather and the Ohio weather will phase out over the ocean north of Bermuda for another major storm in the north Atlantic,That storm with strengthen to the power of a hurricane south of Greenland and will only help to push colder air here Monday and Tuesday. That may send a little moisture into to Quebec which will help to set up elevation snow showers.On Wednesday the arctic boundary will have moved east from Montana with a minor wave of low pressure passing right over northern New England. Though there is very little dynamic or moisture with the wave, it is on an arctic front, and arctic fronts can pull fast ones on us. Let's get crazy and go for 3 inches of snow Wednesday.
The wind may actually go calm for a few hours early Wednesday, before picking up dramatically from the north afternoon, that is when the heaviest snow of the week should fall.Yet another wave on the arctic front will pass on Thursday afternoon, once again causing wind to briefly go light before picking up with another minor burst of snow. By that time we will have cooled to sub zero at the summit.While all this is going on, a storm from the Pacific will make landfall in California, with more snow there.
We can rely on that system spreading snow across the entire country arriving on the east coast Saturday. So the weekend may turn more snowy.The pattern looks locked and loaded right into the first couple weeks of March.We have reason to be psyched for Winter 2013-2014 Round Three!
We also appreciate updates Josh Wirth in Montgomery Vermont.
Feb 24, Josh Wirth:
Quick update: So that short lived rain event really did more good than bad for us. We didn't lose much snow and now we have a solid, mature snowpack to build on w/ more powder.Not much going on in terms of storms, but the Northern Spine micro-climate is going to be active for the next 4 days it appears. Jay Cloud-esque squalls should present themselves off and on into Friday. Heavy snow as I type this w/ a quick inch already on the ground. Looks like a series of 2-4" or 1-3" systems push thru w/ the potential for as little as 4-6", but as much as 10-16" by Friday; accumulating very slowly, but steadily. These types of weather patterns generally give us the best skiing conditions. Temps will be very cold yet again w/ highs near zero by the end of the week.
Here is what I experienced at Stowe Vermont same day
