Weekend storm update

The winter storm moving into Colorado this weekend is not going to be as significant as originally anticipated, but the San Juans and the Front Range will still see good snow accumulations through Saturday night.  The storm is projected to move much quicker than what models were indicating earlier in the week, so we won't see as much snowfall as a result (i.e. this won't be the "big one").  Nevertheless, winter storm watches are out for the Front Range metro area, with the NWS predicting 4-10" for the Denver area.  I would expect about 6" in the city, with up to a foot or more in parts of the Front Range foothills where heavier snow will fall.  Snow should arrive early Saturday morning and be over by midnight Saturday night.  Snow will initially arrive in the San Juans on Friday, where heavy accumulations will be possible in places such as Wolf Creek, Silverton, and Durango (heaviest likely in Wolf Creek).

For the mountains, Loveland, A-Basin, Berthoud Pass, and Winter Park might see some decent snow totals, but it will be a close call as far as whether or not the easterly winds can push the moisture all the way to the Continental Divide.  I don't have much confidence for these areas, and while it's possible they could receive heavy snow, don't be surprised if some of the snowfall forecasts for these places are busts.  The eastern sides of the Indian Peaks and Rocky Mountain National Park should do well with snow, and will offer good backcountry skiing conditions on Sunday (although caution is advised in terms of avalanche danger for steeper slopes).  Eldora will likely see good snowfall, and farther south, Monarch should also do quite well.  Mountain areas west of the Divide in the north and central part of the state will not see much snowfall from this system, as winds will generally not be favorable aside from some wrap-around moisture on the backside of the system that could produce light accumulations.

Temperatures will be slightly cooler in Denver tomorrow, with highs in the mid 50's, before the storm system arrives Friday night.  Skies will clear out behind the storm on Sunday, and by Monday, much milder weather will return to the state, melting most of the snow that falls in the city.  The bad news is that after the weekend storm, we're looking at 7-8 straight days of dry weather in Colorado, along with progressively warmer temps throughout next week which will start to affect the mountain snowpack.  Spring skiing conditions will be the general rule next week right into the following weekend.  The spring temperatures will certainly be comfortable in Denver, as we'll likely see high temps in the 60's by midweek lasting through the end of the week.  I'm hoping the dry spell doesn't last for more than a week or so, though, as we desperately need some big spring storms to help out our low snowpack.