Snow showers continue for northern mountains into Friday; much warmer temperatures for Denver this weekend

Light to moderate snow showers have been affecting the northern mountain ranges Thursday afternoon, under a northwesterly flow of moisture, mainly along and north of the I-70 corridor.  While significant snow totals are not expected, some areas could do quite well.  Steamboat usually does the best in this type of setup, while Winter Park, Berthoud Pass, and the northern Front Range, as well as Vail and Summit County, also can do quite well.  For these areas, expect the slopes to freshen up nicely for Friday skiers.

Clouds steadily increased across the Front Range cities today, a by-product of the system affecting the mountains, but conditions will remain dry east of the mountains.  Temperatures were slightly warmer on Thursday (upper 30's in Denver, topping 40 in areas against the Foothills such as Boulder and Golden), but cloud cover made it feel chilly.  On Friday, the first day of March, temperatures finally begin to warm up in the Front Range cities following an extended period of below average temperatures.  Highs will reach the mid 40's in Denver under partly cloudy skies, although the eastern plains will stay a little cooler due to less exposure to downsloping winds (i.e. warming winds) off of the mountains.  On Saturday, the warm-up really begins in Denver as a ridge of high pressure moves in.  High temperatures will climb well into the 50's on both Saturday and Sunday, while even in the mountains, much warmer temperatures will be found, with highs in the mountain valleys approaching 40 both days.  The caveat is that strong winds will persist in the mountains, especially near the Continental Divide.


Weak system arrives on Sunday night into Monday

The next weather system moves into Colorado on Sunday evening, bringing light to moderate snow showers for the northern mountains and cooler temperatures to Denver.  The system does not favor precipitation for the Front Range cities, but Denver could end up seeing a strong bora wind event (i.e. cold downsloping winds off the mountains) as the cold front associated with the system passes through.  The potential for strong winds will be something to keep an eye on as we move closer to the event.  Snow totals don't look overly impressive for the mountains, but the northern mountains look to be favored again, with light to moderate amounts possible.

On Tuesday, a strong ridge of high pressure moves into Colorado, bringing sunny skies and spring-like temperatures to the state.  However, next Thursday, a strong storm system could affect Colorado, quickly bringing winter back to the state.  The quick switches between spring and winter weather become the norm for Colorado as we head into March, so the upcoming weather pattern is nothing unusual.  March is a critical month for moisture in Colorado, though, as it is our snowiest month on average, and right now, our snowpack is still well below average.

Chilly Thursday for Denver; light snow for the northern mountains

Sunny skies returned to Denver today under light winds, but temperatures remained chilly, only topping out in the low 30's (15 degrees below average for late Feb).  Temperatures are already well into the teens as of 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night, so many parts of the metro area will likely see low temperatures dip into the single digits overnight.  Meanwhile, many areas in the mountains enjoyed fresh snow, including big totals for a couple of areas.  Powderhorn (located on the Grand Mesa) was the big winner, picking up 19" of new snow!  Steamboat also enjoyed an excellent powder day, with 10" on their morning snow report.  Other areas with solid snow totals as of their 6 am reports include Monarch (7"), Telluride (6"), Vail (6"), and Winter Park (6").

Another weak system will move into Colorado tomorrow, bringing a northwesterly flow and favoring the northern mountains with light to moderate snow through Friday (Steamboat likely to do the best, while the Front Range and Vail/Summit County could be decent as well).  Very windy conditions are also going to rake the Front Range mountains and northern Continental Divide on Thursday and Friday.  Clouds will increase in Denver tomorrow, but it will stay dry and cool with highs once again only reaching the 30's.  Clouds should help moderate Thursday night's lows, which should bottom out around 20 in the city (closer to 15 in the foothills and eastern plains).


Warmer, drier weather to arrive this weekend; next storm arrives Monday

A ridge of high pressure will move into Colorado on Saturday, pushing out any remaining snow showers in the northern mountains, and bringing milder temperatures, although the warm-up won't be as significant as previously expected.  High temperatures on Saturday will reach the upper 40's to near 50 in Denver (near average), and reach the mid 50's on Sunday, although clouds will be on the increase ahead of the next system.  The weekend warm-up will be brief, but combined with the higher sun angle of early March, will be enough to melt a lot of the snow that fell in Denver last weekend.

On Monday, a weak to moderate storm system will affect Colorado, likely favoring the northern mountains for snow again.  Temperatures will cool off in Denver as a cold front associated with the system moves through on Monday, but as of right now (keep in mind, though, this is several days out), it doesn't look like Denver will see much if any snow.  Looking long range, warmer and drier weather will move into Colorado by mid week, before the next storm system approaches on Thursday, March 6.

Good snow for some mountain locations, chilly temperatures in Denver through Friday

The Internet is down at the coffee shop where I am tonight, so just a quick update via cell phone. Powderhorn Ski Area (one of the smaller under the radar areas, located on the Grand Mesa not far from Grand Junction) is reporting 19" of new snow since 5 am! I wish I could take tomorrow off, or else I would be making that road trip in a heart beat. I also read a couple of reports that Steamboat received good snow today as well, but this is unconfirmed.

We saw off and on snow showers in Denver today that didn't amount o anything, though the Palmer Divide and foothills, and even areas east of town, saw a little more snow. A band of snow is moving through town right now, so we may see light accumulations, but nothing to get excited about (even less than the 1-3" that was being forecasted).

Tomorrow through Friday, the sun will make an appearance in Denver along with scattered clouds and continued below average temperatures. We'll see high temperatures around freezing in the city tomorrow after starting out in the teens in the morning. Temperatures will slowly warm over the next couple of days, reaching 40 by Friday. Then, on Saturday and Sunday, a ridge of high pressure moves in, and temperatures warm into the 50's under sunny skies.

The mountains will see light to moderate snow Thursday into Friday (still some uncertainty with the storm), but then mild and sunny weather will make an appearance on Saturday, making it feel a little like spring on the ski slopes for the first weekend of March. Snow chances will return on Monday, however, as the next storm system approaches.

Denver hit with 8-12" of snow over the weekend; another round of light snow for Tuesday

The sun comes out in Denver on Monday, Feb 25 following the weekend snowstorm

TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE:  1-3 inches of snow for Denver this afternoon.  Snow showers should begin between noon and 3 pm, with the most snow expected to fall at higher elevations on the southern and western sides of the metro area.  Winter weather advisories are out for the western mountains (Steamboat to Vail to Monarch Pass and points west) for moderate snow accumulations.


Previous discussion...

The largest snow event of the season thus far hit the Front Range and Denver metro area on Sunday, bringing 8-12" of snow to most of the city, with even higher amounts reported in the foothills west of town.  The same storm system absolutely slammed Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas today with a historic blizzard (Amarillo, Texas received 19" of snow along with 65+ mph wind gusts!).  The system first arrived in the mountains on Saturday afternoon, lasting through Saturday night, with some areas receiving good totals (Monarch, Keystone, and Steamboat did the best), before winds shifted to the east around midnight, bringing heavy snow to the Front Range.  Roads were quite treacherous on Sunday, and were still pretty bad for many areas on Monday morning as well.  Monday brought sunshine and warmer temperatures, with highs reaching the 30's, but unsettled weather will return for Tuesday.

Storm system on Tuesday will bring moderate snow to the mountains, light snow to Denver

The next storm system will arrive on Tuesday, bringing a good round of snow to the mountains behind a northwesterly flow, with moderate totals expected for the northern and central mountains, with the Park Range/Steamboat, Vail/Beaver Creek, and the Front Range mountains likely to be favored the most.  As winds shift to the north on Tuesday afternoon, snow showers should develop in the Front Range urban corridor.  Not much accumulation is expected, but areas from Denver metro up to Ft. Collins should see around an inch or so.  Models are showing winds from approximately due north, but a slight wind shift either direction could alter snow totals for the metro area (northwest = bad for Denver snow, northeast = good for Denver snow), so check back in tomorrow morning to see if any changes have been made to the forecast.  The snow should conclude by about midnight, with overnight lows Wednesday morning expected to drop into the teens in the metro area, and upper single digits in the foothills.

Clouds hang around most of the week before sunny, warmer weather arrives for the weekend

Partly to mostly cloudy skies will continue for most of the state on Wednesday and Thursday, with slightly warmer temperatures each day (30's for Denver on Wed-Thur, 40's by Friday).  A weak storm system could affect Colorado on Thursday, but at the moment, models are in disagreement on the track of the system, and whether or not it will bring any snow.  A ridge of high pressure will move into the Rockies this weekend, bringing sunny weather and warmer temperatures for the first few days of March.  We could see high temperatures reach the 50's in Denver, which would melt a lot of the snow that fell this past weekend.

Major winter storm for Denver, good snow for most ski areas

Another quick update, but a winter storm warning is out for Denver for 6-10" of snow and 40 mph wind gusts. East of the city, blizzard warnings are in effect for heavy snow along with high winds. This is going to be a major storm, with nasty driving conditions.

It's currently snowing in Steamboat where I am, and most mountain areas are going to see a powder day tomorrow with 6-12" for many places. Highest amounts will occur in the northern San Juan's, Elk Range (Aspen), and Steamboat. Skiing conditions should be great tomorrow, but the commute back to Denver tomorrow afternoon is going to be brutal, with big powder hungry crowds along with heavy Front Range snow.

Winter Storm Watch for Denver

Quick update this morning. The storm track has shifted a bit, trending farther south, and a significant period of upslope is going to develop behind the cold front this evening, bringing snow to Denver. From tonight through tomorrow, 4-8" are expected to fall in the city, with more possible south and west of the city.

The northern mountains aren't going to see as much snow as originally expected, but Aspen to Monarch to Telluride (southern and central mountains) should still do quite well. I'm in steamboat for the weekend so will post any needed brief updates later.

More snow for Colorado this weekend

A potent storm system will move into Colorado Saturday afternoon, bringing a round of heavy snow to the mountains as the front passes, and bringing some accumulating snow to Denver and the Front Range cities as well.  Snow continued for much of the mountains yesterday, bringing excellent skiing and riding conditions.  Monarch picked up another 13", bringing their two-day total to 31", while Telluride picked up 10" (two day total of 21") and Wolf Creek picked up 13" (two day total of 28").  These areas are skiing the best in the state right now, which isn't to say other areas aren't skiing well.  Vail also reported 9" this morning, while Steamboat picked up 5".  Snow has continued for many areas today, with the main event coming tomorrow afternoon through Sunday morning.  Get out there and enjoy the powder this weekend.

Temperatures remained chilly in Denver today under mostly cloudy skies, although we're starting to see some clearing now.  Temperatures will drop into the teens for most areas tonight, but will warm into the low 40's under clear skies tomorrow.  Clouds will increase in the afternoon ahead of the approaching cold front which should reach the Denver metro area late tomorrow afternoon.  Once winds shift to the north-northeast behind the front, a round of snow will develop for the metro area with 1-3" expected in the city, favoring the south and west.  A secondary circulation south and east of the city will result in higher totals on the eastern Plains, with up to 6" possible, while a general 4-8" will be possible along the Palmer Divide.  Snow should end in Denver by Sunday morning, but cloudy skies and chilly temperatures will persist with highs not likely to get above freezing.

For the mountains, most areas are going to receive good snowfall with this next system.  The heaviest snow totals are expected for the Northern San Juan Range (Telluride, Silverton), the Elk Range (Aspen), the Grand Mesa, the Flat Tops, and the Park Range (Steamboat).  Moderate snow totals (on top of the good snow that has already fallen) are expected for the Front Range Mountains, Summit County, and Vail/Beaver Creek.

Looking ahead, a few light to moderate snow events are expected for the mountains from Monday through Thursday of next week.  Then, a ridge of high pressure will build into the state by Friday and persist through next weekend, bringing sunny skies and milder temperatures.  Below average temperatures will be found in Denver to start the week, but will moderate to near normal by mid to late week, before likely jumping above normal under the ridge of high pressure next weekend.  In other words, this weekend will be great for skiing powder, while next weekend could be a nice one to get outside in Denver and enjoy the warmer weather (or enjoy sunny weather on the slopes).  Such is life in Colorado... going from one extreme to the other.  We'll hope that stormy weather returns in March, though, for the sake of our snowpack.

I'm going to be in Winter Park and Steamboat all weekend, so hopefully I'll find time to post updates, especially with exciting weather occurring, but any updates will likely be brief.