Mid-Week Powder Alert: 12+ Inches for Mammoth, Palisades Tahoe

Ski Resort Snowfall Totals (April 21-24, 2026)

• Banff Sunshine: 6-10 cm (2-4 inches)
• Brighton: 3-5 inches
• Tamarack (closed): 3-5 inches
• Solitude (closed): 4-6 inches
• Alta: 4-7 inches
• Snowbird: 4-7 inches
• Bogus Basin (closed): 6-9 inches
• Mammoth: 8-12 inches
• Palisades Tahoe: 9-13 inches
• Grand Targhee (closed): 12-19 inches

Storm Timing and Discussion

The first wave hits California from Monday night through Wednesday morning. The guidance is converging well on timing and on the Sierra being the first clear winner, while intensity and snow levels still show a modest spread.

Snow levels look to start around 6000-7000 feet on Tuesday before dropping toward 4500-5500 feet late, so the first part of the storm comes in heavier and a bit denser before colder air improves the snow quality. Ridgetop winds will be a factor, especially around Tahoe, but open terrain still stacks up well with Palisades Tahoe in line for 9-13 inches and Mammoth for 8-12 inches by Wednesday. Some of the biggest Sierra numbers fall at closed resorts, which keeps the live California chase centered on those two mountains.

As the trough moves inland on Wednesday, the focus shifts to Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and Banff. The guidance is converging on a colder, longer snow window for Grand Targhee from Wednesday afternoon through Friday, and that is the clearest late-week signal anywhere in the forecast, with 12-19 inches and snow quality improving as temperatures fall. The guidance diverges more on the exact axis, snow levels, and intensity around the rest of the interior, so confidence drops a notch outside that Targhee bullseye. Snow levels generally fall toward 4500-6500 feet across Idaho and Wyoming, while the Wasatch spends more of the cycle near 6000-7000 feet, which helps explain why Bogus Basin looks like a wetter Wednesday shot in the 6-9 inch range and the Wasatch resorts generally land in the 4-7 inch range from Wednesday into Thursday. Banff Sunshine should pick up 6-10 cm late Wednesday night through Thursday with colder, better-preserved snow.

Wind and density also separate the regions. The Sierra and lower Idaho areas take a heavier start and more wind, the Wasatch comes in mostly moderate rather than blower, and Grand Targhee looks like the best mix of quantity and quality once the storm matures. Colorado has little support for meaningful snow through Friday, but the guidance begins to split toward late weekend and early next week, with one camp bringing a modest I-70 refresh sooner and another delaying the better snow into next week.

Daily Chase Recommendations

Each day's snowfall range combines the previous night (4 p.m.-8 a.m.) and that day (8 a.m.-4 p.m.).

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Palisades Tahoe is the best live Sierra target with 4-5 inches of heavy to moderate snow, and the upper mountain should hold the best quality despite gusty ridgeline winds.

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Mammoth leads the day with 6-9 inches of moderate to fairly fluffy snow and colder temperatures that should ski better than Tuesday's denser Sierra snow.

Palisades Tahoe still works with 5-8 inches of moderate snow, but wind and a denser start keep it a notch behind Mammoth.

Thursday, April 23, 2026

The Tetons are the clear top chase with 7-10 inches of moderate snow on top of Wednesday's refresh, and lighter winds should let the new snow stack cleanly, but Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort are closed for the season.

Banff Sunshine is a colder backup with 5-8 cm of moderate snow and better preservation than the smaller interior refreshes farther south.

Friday, April 24, 2026

Grand Targhee (closed) stays on top Friday with 4-7 inches of fairly fluffy snow and the best snowpack depth from the two-day storm.

Extended Outlook

After Friday, the cleanest signal is a quieter stretch for California, with a cooler, still-active pattern from Idaho south through Utah and Colorado. Utah and Colorado both look favored for more precipitation into next week, but timing and favored mountains are still too scattered for precise calls.

The most realistic play is a broad 3-8 inch late-weekend to early-next-week refresh for the open I-70 Colorado areas, while California likely stays quieter before the next late-April system tries to reopen the door.