1 Killed and 5 Buried in Avalanche in Closed Backcountry Area of Crystal Mountain, WA A 66-year-old man was killed and five others buried after an avalanche struck their party just outside Crystal Mountain Resort, WA. A foot of snow had fallen on the area in the previous 24-hours, and wind gusts were as high as 100-mph. On Saturday morning, December 11, a party of six backcountry tourers were traveling uphill in a closed section of […] Avalanche AvyBrains | December 13, 2021 3 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Pattern Change Out West; Feet of Snow Expected Forecast By SnowBrains Chief Meteorologist – Eric McNamee 8:35 PM MST, 12/5/2021 Forecast Summary: FEET of snow is expected across the western US over the next week as a major pattern change occurs. The extremely dry November over the west looks to hopefully change going into December as a long-wave trough develops. Different regions of the west will see rounds […] Weather Eric McNamee | December 5, 2021 0 Comments
Cause for Optimism in Washington | 5-10″ of Snow For the Washington Cascades This Weekend Forecast By SnowBrains Meteorologist Nathan Tarino UPDATED: 7:00 PM MST 12/3/21 Forecast Summary Recently, a warm and wet pattern has steadily eaten away at the snowpack in the Northern Cascades. Despite massive rainfall in the lowlands, resorts have been forced to delay opening dates as snow levels have retreated to the highest elevations. Fortunately, cooler weather is finally in the […] Weather Nathan Tarino | December 3, 2021 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: 6-8″ of Snow For Most PNW Resorts Through Tuesday, Bigger Totals in Higher Elevations Forecast By SnowBrains Chief Meteorologist – Eric McNamee 1:50 PM MST, 11/22/2021 Forecast Summary: A shortwave trough will move through the Pacific Northwest Monday/Tuesday and bring 6-8″ of snow to most resorts, with deeper totals higher in elevation. Snow will initially start falling Monday afternoon as colder air moves into the region and continue through Tuesday. Showers will taper off […] Weather Eric McNamee | November 22, 2021 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: 2 Storms for the Washington Cascades This Week Bringing 10-20″ Fresh Snow Forecast by SnowBrains Meteorologist Rowan Sullivan 6:00 AM MST – November 15th, 2021 Forecast Summary An atmospheric river has been soaking the Pacific Northwest for the past few days. Warm temperatures aloft have precluded much mountain snow thus far, but a cold front passing through Monday afternoon will change that. Heavy snow will fall Monday evening and night, with snow […] Weather Nathan Tarino | November 15, 2021 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Parade of Storms to Bring Up To 20″ Snow to the Cascades Forecast by SnowBrains Meteorologist Rowan Sullivan 4:20 a.m. MST 11/4/2021 Forecast Summary: The first storm in a series of many will arrive in the Pacific Northwest Thursday afternoon. Warm temperatures initially will keep snow levels above pass levels through Thursday before lowering to 4,000 ft. by Friday and 3,000 ft. through the weekend. This will be sufficiently low for some […] Weather Nathan Tarino | November 4, 2021 0 Comments
To Preserve the Mountain Experience Crystal Mountain, WA, to Charge For Weekend Parking In an announcement last week, Crystal Mountain, WA revealed that to preserve the mountain experience they need to reduce car volume, encourage carpooling, provide free shuttle services, and, consequently, reduce their carbon footprint. For these reasons, they’ve shifted their lots to paid parking on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Free parking is included with the purchase of a season’s pass, and […] Industry News SnowBrains | October 8, 2021 0 Comments
What a Difference a Week Makes: Webcam Images Show Mount Rainier, WA Before and After Snowfall Webcam images taken just a week apart show the difference a couple of days of snowfall has made to Mount Rainier, WA. The first image (above) was taken from Crystal Mountain Resort’s webcam on September 14th after a hot and dry summer. The next image (below), from the same webcam a week later, shows a resplendent Mount Rainier donned in her […] SnowBrains | September 23, 2021 1 Comment