Another round of heavy snow for the San Juans

Saturday's storm delivers for many ski areas

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...

Winter storm impacting much of Colorado

Snow showers moving over Loveland Pass this morning (2/9/13)

A potent storm system is moving across Colorado today, with many ski areas around the state expected to pick up good snow totals.  The system is rather complex, as snow bands are forming over the eastern plains this afternoon, with blizzard warnings in effect for northeast Colorado.  However, the Front Range metro area will mostly sit in a "dry slot" between the mountains and the plains, and only light snowfall totals are expected.  A round of snow passed through the metro area earlier this afternoon, with light accumulations falling over Denver.  Snow should pick back up again this evening with a couple of inches possible, but the heavier snow will fall farther east of the city.  Farther north, Cheyenne should see a couple of inches and Laramie could see as much as half a foot.  Due to downsloping winds (i.e. dry winds) off of the Cheyenne Ridge (between Cheyenne and Ft. Collins), Ft. Collins will likely see very little snow.  Winds from Ft. Collins to Cheyenne to Laramie will be very brisk tonight, which could make for some low wind chills.

Denver/Front Range Cities and Foothills

Because of where the circulation of the system is located, the foothills are going to see less snow than the plains.  Usually the higher elevations of the foothills cause the moist air to rise quickly and drop more precipitation, but most of this storm's energy is going to be too far east.  Some areas on the northeastern plains could see as much as a foot of snow in the heavier bands, and with strong winds, blizzard like conditions will exist.  Travel along I-76 into Nebraska is not recommended tonight.  4-12" are possible in Northeast Colorado, 3-5" around Limon and points east, and 6-12" in central and eastern Wyoming.

Much colder temperatures have reached the Front Range corridor today, and this trend will continue for the next few days.  Another round of snow is possible on Sunday night, with areas farther south, such as Colorado Springs, expected to pick up more snow, while points from Denver north may not see much in the way of accumulations.  A slight shift in the storm track could change things, though, so it's worth keeping an eye on.

As for temperatures, we'll see generally be in the upper teens tonight and the mid 30's tomorrow across the metro area.  Tomorrow night, the next system will pull in colder air, so we'll see temperatures drop to near 10 in the city, with single digits in both the foothills and the eastern plains.  After a cold Monday, temperatures will warm to near 50 by Wednesday, before falling again later in the week as the next system moves in.

Mountain Snow

The storm system is moving across central Colorado, so most mountain areas should receive good snow out of this system.  Who gets the most snow will by and large be determined by where the heaviest bands set up.  A round of heavy snow showers moved through the mountains earlier today, and tonight more steady snow should fall for most areas.  Some areas could receive as much as a foot, and most ski areas will likely see at least half a foot of new snow.  Some of the heaviest snow will fall along the eastern side of the Wind River Range in Wyoming (once winds switch to easterly farther north), where up to two feet are possible.  Another storm system moves in on Sunday night, with the San Juans likely to be favored with possibly significant snowfall.  Other areas across the mountains should receive light totals.

Here are some of the general forecasted snow totals through Sunday:

• Front Range Mountains - 6-12"
• Gore Range - 8-14"
• Summit County - 6-10"
• Vail - 6-12"
• Steamboat - 6-10"
• Aspen - 6-12"
• Crested Butte - 7-14"
• Telluride - 6-14"
• Silverton - 8-16"
• Wolf Creek - 6-12"
• Sawatch Range - 5-10"

Temperatures have cooled significantly in the mountains after a mild day Friday in the valleys.  Tomorrow, base area (valley) temperatures will range from the upper teens to low 20's, before falling to near zero in many areas tomorrow night.

Nice snow refresher for many ski areas

The system that moved through Colorado packed more of a punch than previously thought, with many ski resorts in the northern part of the state reporting up to a nice surprise of several inches of new snow this morning.  Reports include 4" at Copper Mountain, 5" at Breckenridge, 5" at Winter Park, and the big winner is Beaver Creek with 8".  It's nice to see a surprise snow for areas that have not been able to catch a break (snowfall wise) this season.

In Denver, points downtown and south received an unusual mid-winter rain event yesterday evening, with as much as 0.3 inches of steady rainfall recorded at Centennial Airport.  While steady rainfall does not occur very often at this time of year, the moisture was very welcome.  Looking outside, it appears the foothills saw some accumulating snowfall last night as well.

For the weekend storm I mentioned yesterday, the storm track has shifted a little farther to the north, and it now appears that Denver is probably not going to receive a significant snowfall after all, although I do think we will see some snow.  A nice moisture-laden upslope snowstorm would have been nice, but on the bright side, the northern shift in the storm track should produce better snowfall for many of the mountain areas.  In fact, it looks like most mountain areas in the state could pick up some good snow accumulations, with the San Juans getting in on the action first overnight Friday and into Saturday morning (with southwest winds), then the northern and central mountains picking up most of their snow later on Saturday when winds switch to the west and northwest.

Here are some of the early snowfall amounts the WRF weather model is predicting through Sunday morning (keep in mind, this is only a general idea a couple of days out, and will likely change):

San Juan Range - 7-15"

Sangre de Christo Range - 3-10"

Elk Range (Aspen/Crested Butte) - 6-15"

Grand Mesa - 7-15"

Flat Tops - 7-15"

Northern Sawatch Range - 7-15"

Vail/Beaver Creek - 7-15"

Copper/Breck/Ten Mile Range - 5-15"

Park Range/Steamboat - 7-15"

Winter Park/Berthoud Pass/Loveland - 7-15"

Indian Peaks - 5-15"

Rocky Mountain National Park - 6-20"

Snowy Range/Medicine Bow Range (WY) - 5-10"

Wind River Range (WY) - 10-25"

Eastern Absasorka Range (WY) - 10-20"

 

Light snow for some today, Denver snowstorm possible this weekend

Pyramid Peak, seen from Snowmass Ski Resort (Feb 1, 2013)

Quiet weather has been with us for several days now after an active week last week brought the best skiing conditions so far to an otherwise lousy season.  Between Wednesday and Friday, a steady, moist northwest flow brought great snow to Steamboat, Vail, Summit County, and the Northern Front Range.  Dry weather returned over the weekend, and sunny skies and mild temperatures have been the story so far this week.  I was skiing at Copper Mountain yesterday morning, and calm winds and warm temperatures made for a comfortable day on the slopes, but the snowpack is still unusually thin in spite of last week's snow.

A weak disturbance is moving through today, bringing snow showers to much of the Colorado mountains, with an inch or two possible in most locations.  This evening and tonight, winds will shift to easterly as a front passes through, and a light upslope precipitation event will occur along the eastern slopes and eastern cities of the Front Range.  Most of the moisture will be found farther south, so Colorado Springs and Castle Rock could see some light snow accumulations, while Denver looks to be a little bit too far north to see much of anything, though some flakes are possible.  Rain showers are possible earlier on this evening due to the mild temperatures we have been experiencing.

Temperatures topped 60 across much of the metro area yesterday, and we're in the low 50's this afternoon, but changes are on the way for the weekend.  A potent storm system is going to move through the southern Rockies, initially bringing good snow to the San Juans, before winds shift to the east later Saturday, bringing the possibility of a significant snow storm to the Denver metro area, as well as all foothill and mountain regions from the Continental Divide east from the Front Range of Colorado up through Wyoming.  More details will become present in the coming days, but right now, it looks like this could be the biggest snowfall of the season to date for Denver (not that that's saying much), and could be very beneficial to the drought-stricken eastern foothills and cities.  

As for skiing, mountain locations on the eastern side of the Continental Divide, the San Juan Range, and possibly the Sangre de Christo Range will do the best.  However, as a cold front associated with the storm system passes through, all areas in the state should see some decent snow (hopefully), so while most of the northern ski areas may not get significant accumulations like the eastern foothills will, there could certainly be enough to freshen up the slopes.  Looking farther ahead, the second half of February has the potential to be more active for the mountains, so we will hope this comes to fruition.

Big snow for Northern CO mountains; get your powder skis ready!

Heavy, beneficial snow is expected to fall across Northern Colorado and Northwest Wyoming today, bringing as much as two feet to sections of the Park Range (Steamboat).  Yesterday, snow showers dropped 3-5" for many areas from Summit County to Steamboat to Jackson Hole.  Behind northwest winds (northwest flow = good for Northern Colorado), the storm will really get going for areas such as Steamboat, Vail, Winter Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Cameron Pass today.  The same storm system was responsible for dropping as much as 18 inches of snow in the Wasatch Range of Utah yesterday (Alta/Snowbird to be more specific).  Winter storm warnings are posted for Northern Colorado, and winter weather advisories are out for Western Wyoming.  Here are some general snow amounts that can be expected today.

• Steamboat/Park Range - 10-20"
• Vail/Beaver Creek - 6-12"
• Flat Tops - 14-28"
• Gore Range - 12-24"
• Summit County - 4-10"
• Berthoud Pass/Winter Park/Indian Peaks - 6-12"
• Rocky Mountain National Park/Cameron Pass - 10-15"
• Snowy Range (WY) - 10-20"
• Tetons/Yellowstone (WY) - 8-10"
• Absaroka Range (WY) - 8-12"
• Bighorns (WY) - 12-15"

Additionally, a High Wind Warning has been issued for the mountains between Cheyenne and Laramie, with 65+ mph wind gusts possible.  Travelers along I-80 through Southern Wyoming should be aware.  Furthermore, an Avalanche Warning remains in effect for the San Juan Range, where as much as four feet of snow fell between Saturday and Monday.  The weak layers that formed during the January dry spell are failing under the heavy snow that fell, so it would be a good idea to avoid the backcountry in these areas until the new snow settles a bit.  Increasing avalanche danger is also going to be a concern in areas where heavy snow falls today, so backcountry skiers need to be aware. 

Warmer Weather for Denver

The return to colder weather in the metro area was brief, and the snow that fell Monday night will quickly melt as we warm up starting today.  After starting out in the low teens this morning, temperatures should warm into the low 40's this afternoon under sunny skies and a little bit of a downslope wind off the mountains, which will help to quickly warm things up from a chilly start.  High pressure builds in late week and this weekend, so temperatures will warm each day through the end of the week, and by the weekend we'll be well above average again temperature wise, with highs approaching 60.

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!