Big snow for many ski areas at last!

Snow falls in downtown Denver on Monday evening

Impressive Snow Totals for San Juans, Steamboat, Targhee

Following weeks of a dry weather, a weekend storm that began Saturday in the San Juans and concluded overnight dropped up to four feet of snow in some locations!  Yesterday, after the cold front passed through Colorado, heavy snow occurred in many of the areas favored by west-northwesterly winds, with Steamboat picking up an astonishing 24 inches in a one-day period!  The highest 24 hour totals in CO-WY include:

• Silverton - 26"
• Steamboat - 24"
• Powderhorn - 18"
• Wolf Creek - 13"
• Purgatory - 11"
• Monarch - 10"
• Grand Targhee - 10"

There are some very impressive three-day snow totals in CO-WY as well, especially in the San Juans with the usual suspects (Wolf Creek, Silverton) recording huge totals:

• Silverton - 48"
• Wolf Creek - 40"
• Grand Targhee - 31"
• Powderhorn - 30"
• Steamboat - 27"
• Telluride - 23"
• Monarch - 20"
• Sunlight - 20"
• Crested Butte - 17"
• Snowmass - 15"
• Jackson Hole - 13"
• Beaver Creek - 11"
• Vail - 11"

The best part about this storm is that it came in warm, with heavy wet snow falling in many areas, which is good for building a base on top of the old snow that had just been sitting there for weeks (i.e. no "dust on crust").  However, once the cold front came through, temperatures dropped and the second round of snowfall was more in the form of dry, blower powder on top of the previously fallen heavy, wet snow.  When multi-day snow events occur in this manner, ideal ski conditions occur.

It should also be noted that, once again, Summit County did not fair as well with this storm.  However, at least a few inches fell in most areas, and better snow is possible for this part of the state tomorrow and Thursday.  The same is true for the Front Range, which some moderate snow but not nearly the same amount that other parts of the state received.

Denver finally picks up some snow, too!

After making it through most of January with nothing more than a couple of dustings of snow earlier in the month, we finally saw some measurable snowfall here in the city.  Yesterday started off sunny and mild, with temperatures pushing 60 at noon, but then the cold front came through and temperatures fell off dramatically.  Just a few hours later, by about 3:30 or so, snow began falling in downtown Denver.  Pretty impressive to see a weather change from the upper 50's and sunny to accumulating snowfall in less than four hours!  Most parts of the city picked up around three inches or so, but the snow was much wetter than you would typically expect in January, so the roads generally stayed in good shape.  Temperatures were cold in town today, staying in the upper 20's for the most part.  

A little reinforcing shot of cold air has brought clouds and chilly winds into Denver this evening, and it's very possible some accumulating snow showers will be generated over the metro area tonight, so don't be shocked if you wake up to light snow accumulation tomorrow morning (drier and colder snow than what we had last night, but any accumulations will be light).  We should see temps drop down close to 10 degrees tonight before a warming trend ensues tomorrow.

Tomorrow:  Warmer in Denver, but potential for big snow in the Northern CO mountains!

Northwest winds will be affecting the region for the next couple of days, which will lead to a downsloping wind for the eastern slopes of the Front Range of CO up into southeast Wyoming.  As wind blows down a mountain range, it warms the air, so expect milder temperatures in the Front Range cities tomorrow, rising into the 40's for many areas.  The warming trend should continue, and above-average temperatures will return this weekend.  In other words, the snow in town is going to melt pretty quickly.

The great news for skiers is that snow is going to fall starting tonight and lasting through Thursday morning in the northern mountains.  Winter Storm Warnings are out for many parts of the mountains, with over a foot possible in many areas!  This would be very beneficial to the mountain snowpack, which has been well below average in Colorado for a second straight year.  Areas expected to do the best are Steamboat/Park Range, the Flat Tops, Medicine Bows/Snowy Range, Northern Front Range, Gore Range, Wyoming Range, Tetons/Jackson Hole, and the Absaroka Range.  I would expect areas like Steamboat and Winter Park to be skiing very well this weekend, along with Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee farther north.  Welcome back winter!