Winter storms could bring 1-3 feet of snow to Cascades this week; ski areas may begin to open

The Cascades could see one to three feet of snow accumulating during the second half of this week, a welcome sight for fans of winter recreation, as ski areas have yet to open. If these storms bring enough snow, with the right timing, some ski areas may allow people back on the slopes as soon as this weekend or early next week.

"We will need a considerable amount to consider even a limited operation, but the current forecast is favorable for delivering several feet of snow," said Dave Tragethon, a member of the Mount Hood Meadows communications team.

Two winter storm systems are expected to hit, one after another, starting Tuesday night and winding down on Saturday. The first storm is predicted to bring 8-16 inches of snow by Friday morning.

As the storm continues, snow could fall as low as 1,000 feet on Wednesday and Thursday. Although the Willamette Valley is not expected to see any snowfall, snow could reach the Detroit area and the Coast Range, including Highway 26 and Highway 6, meteorologists said.

"Anyone travelling into the foothills, the Coast Range and certainly across the Cascades, is going to have a very snowy drive," said Colby Newman, a NWS meteorologist.

Friday is expected to offer a brief break in the weather, before a potentially stronger system hits that night. This second storm could bring 1-2 feet to the Cascades over 24 hours, with snow falling as low as 1,500 feet.

"That event looks like it could be a really good snow producer for the Cascades," Newman said.

Good news for winter recreation

These storm systems are good news for Oregonians who enjoy winter sports, as the popular ski resorts of Timberline, Mount Hood Meadows, Bachelor and Hoodoo remain closed, with no public opening date set.

In recent years, many of these ski areas have opened Thanksgiving weekend or earlier, however, a lack of snow has delayed the first days of the 2021-2022 ski season.

"A forecast is just a forecast, but we're excited about it, as are other ski areas," said John Burton, the director of public relations at Timberline.

Mount Hood Meadows and Timberline both said that they are watching the storms closely and are ready to open whenever they get enough snow. The communications team at Meadows added that a good snowfall from these two storms, with good timing, could allow them to open on a limited basis over the weekend.

"We won't know until later this week, but a limited opening (with three or so lifts) over the weekend that would roll into daily operations... of the mountain is possible," Tragethon said.

There is still optimism that despite the slow start to the season, this winter could end up being a banner year. Long-term projections call for this winter to be wetter and snowier than usual.

"The last time we recall a season that started like this was Winter 2008/09, which didn't begin until December 14. However, once it started snowing mid-December '08, it didn't stop snowing, breaking records and dropping a seasonal snow total of 538 inches," Mount Bachelor posted online after postponing their season start.

Hazardous travel conditions

Weather officials urge caution for people travelling both in the Cascades and Coast Range this week and weekend. They emphasized the importance of being prepared for snowy roads and driving conditions, not just over the passes.

"It isn't like people just have to worry about getting through a two- to three-mile stretch. They could be driving through 10, 20 or 30 miles depending on the road system," Newman said.

Wednesday night and Thursday morning could also bring black ice to the Coast Range. Right below the snow level, at 500 to 1,000 feet, wet roads could freeze and create hazardous driving conditions.

"We could get a quick freeze and then we see black ice form on parts of the roads coming out of the Coast Range and into the valley. So, that's just another area for people to use caution when travelling, especially on Thursday morning," Newman said.

Eddy Binford-Ross is the Outdoors Intern at the Statesman Journal. Contact her at ebinfordross@statesmanjournal.com or follow on Twitter @eddybinfordross.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Cascades could see 1-3 feet of snow this week; ski areas could open