May Blizzard Intensifying, Multiple Feet of Snow Forecasted Across The West

OpenSnow's dedicated Utah forecaster Evan Thayer, who runs the Utah Daily Snow Twitter/X account, has officially wrapped up reporting duties for the season, but how could he not get excited at the potential to ski knee-high powder in the first week of May?

Thayer cautions that OpenSnow's forecast is "optimistic" and that actual snowfall totals will most likely be lower, but snow is snow, as they say.

Alta Ski Area is closed for the season, but Snowbird, Brighton, and Solitude will all be open for lift-served skiing and riding this upcoming weekend.

Elsewhere, Palisades Tahoe, California has postponed their annual 'Cushing Crossing' pond skim event from Saturday, May 4th to Saturday, May 11th due to the impending storm. See details in the embedded Instagram post below.

Bryan Allegretto has concluded his daily reporting for OpenSnow's Tahoe Region for the season, but he alluded to jumping back in to cover the storm depending on its track.

At the moment, OpenSnow is forecasting 15 inches of total snowfall at Palisades Tahoe, but the storm will likely bring rain and fluctuating snow levels to start.

Palisades Tahoe dubbed this upcoming Saturday a 'Gore-Tex' day rather than a 'Pond Skim costume day'. With rain, snow, high winds, and cold temps forecasted, it's easy to see why they made the call.

Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, WY are closed for the season, but they're about to get slammed with snow, if forecasts pan out.

Uphill access is closed Monday-Thursday at Targhee this spring, not ideal for skinners looking to take full advantage of the storm (the majority of the snow is forecasted to fall between Sunday night and Wednesday afternoon), but the backcountry should be firing.

OpenSnow is currently forecasting up to 39 inches of new snow at Targhee and 24 inches at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Safe to say that the Tetons are in the bullseye for this May storm.

A friendly reminder that spring storms are hard to predict, and forecasted snow totals will change. Regardless, prepare for some fun May powder skiing this weekend and early next week. 

Have fun, and stay safe out there, friends!