How 'Bout Them Shadows?
It's been quiet lately. But quiet isn't necessarily bad. My contacts at the Loaf (and other ski resorts in Maine) tell me this has actually been a really good year so far, ticket-sales wise.
I was somewhat surprised by that at first. It hasn't been PARTICULARLY snowy overall. But then I got to thinking; it also hasn't been "full barney" cold much either.
Look I'll suit up in -15 F with the best of the them, but I'm not going to sit here and say I don't PREFER skiing when I can have my face out. (Authors Note: The rest of the mountain would prefer my face be as hidden as possible). So these 30-35 F days have been crushing lately. It's just fun to ski at that temp.
But now it's time for a pattern shuffle. The warmth goes away for a few days, but the POW arrives.
This is a two round storm. Round 1 is Thursday morning through afternoon.
This is warm air advection snow and it's one of my favorite varieties for snow growth and QPF verification. It start snowing heavily late morning and last through the afternoon.
Round 1 by itself is probably worth 4-6" by itself and I highly recommend Thursday for a powder day. (Jell-O legs for days)
There will be a bit of a lull on Thursday night as the second round winds up to the south.
During this time period it's possible a little sleet mixes in at the Loaf, and maybe even a little freezing drizzle. But the moisture is very limited so I'm not overly concerned.
The next round is a complicated forecast for the COAST, but not for the LOAF. The thermal profile stays cold through the day on Friday and now we have a coastal low cranking some extra energy.
The result?
It snows all day on Friday, likely the heaviest in the late afternoon. More Pow.
Totals: