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.