5-10 inch snow for Wednesday and the rain for the upcoming weekend at least looks colder

We've taken a step in the right direction regarding the thaw situation this upcoming Saturday. Far from an ideal forecast and I'll get to those details in a bit. Until then we have a couple of opportunities for snow, even as the cold weather goes into temporary retreat mode. 

Since the rain/ice situation on December 29th (about a week ago now), temperatures on the mountain have for the most part stayed below the 20-degree mark. Monday will mark the last of that stretch of days with temperatures remaining in the low teens. Retreating cold is often associated with lots of cloudiness and rest assured we will have plenty of that this week. Fortunately those clouds will produce a cold snow late in the ski day Monday. We can expect 2-3 inches out of this before the snow tapers off Monday night. Tuesday is expected to follow as another cloudy day with moderating temperatures. Readings should climb into the 20's with minimal wind. 

The storm system approaching us late Tuesday from the eastern Great Lakes looks a little better. We have just enough lingering cold air and the storm will track just far enough to the south to make this all work. Snow should develop late Tuesday evening and fall at a light or moderate intensity through a good part of the ski day Wednesday. This would be good enough for a 5-10 inch event on the mountain with temperatures hovering in the mid to high 20's, just low enough for a powdery consistency over the high country. My one concern with this event is that the possibility for some sneaky warm layer in the atmosphere to make for a period of freezing rain or drizzle if precipitation lightens up. Models show a close call, but keep us snow as of Sunday evening. We aren't expecting high winds with this weather system but the prevailing direction on Wednesday is southeasterly which has an up and down relationship with the single chair. 

Best chance to see some blue sky might come early Thursday, a mild day in the wake of the Wednesday snow and a dry one. Temperatures on the mountain might sneak above the freezing mark and certainly will do so in the valley, but with the low dewpoints expected, snow conditions shouldn't get damp yet. This changes on Friday with clouds, some occasional rain and a mild flow of air pushing temperatures and dewpoints up close to 40 degrees. The rain is certainly not a desirable outcome, though it does appear we can avoid a total calamity. The low level push of undercutting cold is alive and has altered the weather picture somewhat for Saturday and reduced the risk for some wind-driven 50-degree rain abomination. Asking for something frozen on Saturday is still a reach for now and more rain is still the most likely outcome. 35 degrees is considerably better than a few other alternatives though so lets start there and hope for continued improvements. 

Still see a more favorable Pacific jet stream in the middle of January. We will need some time to reestablish a core of cold in Canada and doesn't look like it will happen until after January 11th. The large ridge across the eastern Pacific extending up through Alaska bears some resemblance to the pattern we saw in the early to middle part of December and there are indications of more intense chill after the 13th or 14th. If the typical La Nina pattern holds up and keeps the southeast ridge alive, we will see some action.