The SnoCal Weekend Outlook

Every ThursdayIn your inbox before you make weekend plans
All of CaliforniaTahoe, Mammoth, the Central Sierra and SoCal
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What's in it

  • The weekend snow picture: where it's snowing, how much, and whether it lands Friday night or Sunday afternoon.
  • The drive: the chain control outlook for I-80, US-50, SR-88 and US-395, including when controls are expected to start and lift.
  • Resort by resort: new snow, forecast totals, chain controls and wind for each resort, side by side.
  • A little help from the SnoCal crew, our cartoon characters, because forecasts should be fun.

What an issue looks like

Sample issue: an illustration of the format, not a real forecast.

Subject: 10 to 16 inches Friday night, chains likely Saturday morning

The short version: a cold storm drops 10 to 16 inches on the Tahoe crest Friday night, then clears out by Saturday morning. Sunday is forecast sunny and colder.

The drive: R2 chain controls are likely on I-80 and US-50 from Friday evening into early Saturday, based on the National Weather Service forecast. Check Caltrans QuickMap for the latest before you leave.

Resort by resort: Sugar Bowl and Palisades are forecast to get the most, 12 to 16 inches. Heavenly and Kirkwood are forecast for 6 to 10 inches. Winds ease Saturday afternoon.

Mammoth and SoCal: dry and sunny. Mammoth is running on groomed runs; Big Bear is on snowmaking only.

See you up there. The SnoCal family

Who writes it

SnoCal is run by a California family that spends many a winter weekend driving up to their cabin and know how important it is to check the forecast before we leave. We pull from the same sources the pros use, including the National Weather Service, Caltrans and UC Berkeley's Central Sierra Snow Lab, and we lay out the conditions for your weekend so you can make your own plans. We report conditions; we don't tell you whether to travel.

Questions

Is it really free?

Yes. The Weekend Outlook is free, every week.

When does it start?

The first issues go out in November, ahead of opening weekends, and run every Thursday through the end of the season.

Will you sell my email or spam me?

No. We never sell or share your address. You'll get the Thursday Outlook and, occasionally, news from SnoCal. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe.

Why do you ask where I ski?

So we can put the region you care about first. We never share it.

While you wait for Thursday: snow forecast for every resort · I-80 road conditions · opening dates