FOUS11 KWBC 120744
QPFHSD

Probabilistic Heavy Snow and Icing Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
344 AM EDT Sun Oct 12 2025

Valid 12Z Sun Oct 12 2025 - 12Z Wed Oct 15 2025

...Northern Rockies & Pacific Northwest...
Days 1-2...

By the start of the forecast period (12Z Sunday), a potent
shortwave upper-level trough will be quickly exiting the northern
Rockies along with an associated strong surface low pushing
northeastward into southern Saskatchewan. Gradually increasing
heights are then expected across the northern Rockies through the
remainder of the day 1 forecast period, while a rapidly deepening
upper low drops southward along the coast of the Pacific Northwest.
At the surface, cold Canadian high pressure nosing southward into
northwest MT will allow for favorable upslope ascent in this
region, with general low-to-mid level convergence extending across
northern WA and ID along a sinking frontal boundary. This will
favor light to moderate snow across areas above 5,000ft, but with
snow levels dropping enough for flakes to reach into parts of the
MT Front Range and adjacent High Plains at times on Sunday night.
For the Cascades of WA and OR, snowfall will be tied to the
dropping upper low as snow levels start around 4,000-5,000ft
(lowest in the northern WA Cascades) before eventually lowering to
around 3,000ft in WA and 4,500ft in OR on day 2.

WPC probabilities show moderate-to-high probabilities (50-80%) for
storm-total snowfall amounts >8" from the Cascades on eastward into
the northern Idaho Panhandle to the Lewis Range of Montana.
Mountains within and around Glacier Nat'l Park even have moderate
chances (40-60%) for over 12" of snow, particularly above 7,000ft.
The WSSI shows mostly Minor Impacts due to potentially slick travel
conditions, while some passes in Montana and Glacier Nat'l Park
may contend with Moderate Impacts that could result in road
closures.

...California...
Days 2-3...

...First heavy snowfall event of the season set to impact the
Sierra Nevada beginning Monday night...

By day 2, the upper low dropping southward along the West Coast is
forecast to deepen into a robust 500mb low off the northern
California coast. This sudden amplification of the 500mb trough
(18Z ECMWF shows 500mb heights below the 0.5 climatological
percentile and nearing October records off the California coast
Monday afternoon) is due to an impressive anti- cyclonic weak break
over British Columbia. The dramatic height falls and modest
500-700mb CAA aloft will support lowering snow levels down to
around 6000-6500ft through the Siskiyou and the Sierra Nevada
starting Monday and continuing into the first half of next week.
All guidance also shows a healthy IVT topping 400 kg/m/s helping to
direct plenty of Pacific moisture at the mountain ranges. Snow
arrives over the northern California mountains on Monday with the
heaviest snowfall occurring Monday night into Tuesday over the
Sierra Nevada. Guidance has come in snowier over the past 12-24
hours, and given the lack of deep, cold air aloft, snow is likely
to be a heavy/wet snowfall along the Sierra Nevada. This could
raise concerns for potential impacts to trees and infrastructure
given this is the first significant mountain snowfall in the Sierra
Nevada this season.

WPC probabilities show moderate-to-high chances (50-80%) for at
least 24" of snowfall throughout the central Sierra Nevada (above
8,000 feet) by Wednesday morning, with maximum amounts up to 36"
possible. Latest WSSI-P shows high chances (70-99%) for Moderate
Impacts along the central Sierra Nevada with the Snow Amount, Snow
Load, and Snow Rate impacts being the main concerns for the first
significant snow of the season. Current WSSI also highlights Major
to Extreme Impacts, which would imply difficult to impossible
travel at times between Monday night and much of the day on Tuesday,
including for many major passes.


The probability of significant freezing rain across CONUS is less
than 10 percent.


Snell/Mullinax





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