Yesterday's storm brought new snow to every ski area in Colorado, with the San Juans picking up the highest totals, while snowfall amounts were more sporadic in the rest of the state. Wolf Creek and Durango were the big winners, both reporting 15" of new snow, while Telluride also did very well with 12" of new snow. Farther north, Steamboat saw heavy snow and picked up 10", while Snowmass, A-Basin, and Winter Park each picked up 6". About a foot of snow fell at Cameron Pass, much to the delight of Ft. Collins backcountry skiers. Summit and Eagle totals were variable, with Vail and Breck reporting 5", while only 2" fell at Copper and 3" at Loveland. Hopefully most people were able to find some powder to ski today. Better snow over the past couple of weeks has resulted in much better backcountry skiing conditions as well, but please be aware of the increasing avalanche danger due to the rotten weak layer that formed in January.
While this was a nice storm for Colorado, it was nothing compared to the monstrous nor'easter that hit New England on Friday. Be sure to check out pictures of the storm if you haven't. Boston saw its 5th greatest single storm snowfall total on record (24.9"), while Portland, ME as well as many areas in Connecticut saw over 30 inches! New York City picked up a foot of snow in Central Park, with up to two feet in areas north of town. Many areas recorded hurricane-force wind gusts, and I saw a pretty cool video of thundersnow in the area as well. Hopefully all of the Northeast skiers are getting after it this weekend, as the snow has been long overdue up there. I know one of my friends who lives in Massachusetts was planning to take his snowboard out into some steep glades in the backcountry.
Second storm to dump snow in southern Colorado tonight
While the main system has exited Colorado and is bringing blizzard-like conditions to much of the northern Plains, a secondary circulation behind the main system is diving south into northern Arizona and New Mexico, kicking up a strong southwesterly flow that will produce another round of heavy snowfall for the San Juans tonight, with some areas expected to receive up to a foot of additional snowfall. The Sangre de Christos should see some good snowfall from this system as well, and perhaps the southern Front Range mountains and foothills (including Pikes Peak). The best skiing tomorrow will be found at Wolf Creek, Silverton, and Durango. Telluride and Taos, NM should be pretty good as well.
Denver misses out on snow yet again
We had a nice snow shower that lasted about 30 minutes in town yesterday, but once again most parts of the city saw nothing more than a dusting. While the mountain snow is obviously good news for everyone, it sure would be nice if we could get some moisture here in the Front Range. Unfortunately, it just hasn't happened so far this winter.
As the next system moves through Colorado tonight, we're going to be a little too far north to see anything other than perhaps a few flakes. The foothills west of town could see some snow showers tonight, but accumulating snowfall will likely be limited to I-70 and south.
Temperatures are chilly but not bitterly cold in town today, with most parts of the metro area close to freezing this afternoon. Colder air is being pulled in from the north by this next system, so temperatures will fall into the upper single digits to low teens tonight. Tomorrow will be chilly with high temperatures likely remaining in the upper 20's, before falling to around 10 tomorrow night. A gradual warming trend will occur this week with temperatures reaching the upper 40's by Wednesday, but temperatures will fall again as the next system approaches northeast Colorado on Thursday, which will also bring a chance of snow to the city.
Northern mountains could see some shots of snow late in the week
Scattered snow showers are possible in northern Colorado on Monday, but little accumulation is expected. Sunny skies will return on Tuesday, and it should be a beautiful day in the high country. Northwesterly flow will return to the northern mountains on Wednesday, with some snow showers and light accumulations possible. By Thursday night through Friday, it looks like a system will clip northeastern Colorado, bringing a chance of snow to the northern mountains (best for Steamboat and the northern Front Range), and the possibility for accumulating snow in the Front Range cities as well. Stay tuned...
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