Colorado Daily Snow

Heads up, there may be fresher snow! Read the latest Colorado Daily Snow

By Joel Gratz, Founding Meteorologist Posted 5 years ago April 20, 2018

The Last Hurrah

Summary

On Thursday night, snow fell heavily in the southern and the western part of the central mountains. On Friday, this intense snow will slowly swing north and east, and it will continue on Friday night. Then on Saturday morning, we’ll see lingering snow in the northern mountains through midday, and then the snow should end by Saturday afternoon. Total accumulations should be in the 8-16 inch range for most areas, supported by the high amount of moisture that this storm is bringing into Colorado. In terms of the best inbounds powder, Saturday morning still looks like the best time.

Short Term Forecast

On Friday morning, the storm is spinning over eastern Utah, with lots of moisture being pulled into Colorado from the south.

Friday morning’s regional radar shows that the most precipitation in Colorado is in the western third of the state.

Zooming in on Friday morning’s radar, you can see that there is a distinct line between intense precipitation to the west and no precipitation to the east.

Below are the snow reports that cover the time from Thursday night through Friday morning at about 500 am. Notice the Aspen area on the radar above, where areas just to the west (Sunlight and Snowmass) saw up to 6 inches of snow in just 3-4 hours. These high snowfall rates show the potential when we combine lots of moisture with the strong lift (energy) that’s out ahead of this storm.

Sunlight – 6” (not open)
Snowmass – 3-6” (not open)
Telluride/Silverton – 2-4” (not open)
Wolf Creek – 2-4” (not open)
Crested Butte – 2” (not open)
Purgatory – 2” (open ONLY Saturday & Sunday, skiing is FREE for everyone)
Breckenridge – 1” (limited terrain, closes Sunday 4/22)
Arapahoe Basin – 0” (open into May)
Eldora – 0” (closes Sunday 4/22)
Loveland – 0” (closes Sunday 5/6)
Mary Jane – 0” (closes Sunday 5/6)
Winter Park – 0” (closes Sunday 4/22)

On Friday morning, the freezing level is around 9,000 feet in the southern and central mountains, and during times of intense precipitation, snow might fall down to 8,000 feet or below.

For the rest of Friday, the band of intense snow of the western part of Colorado will push east and north, so the rest of the central and northern mountains should see snow begin by Friday midday through Friday later afternoon.

On Friday night, the northern mountains will likely be favored by this band of more intense snow.

Then on Saturday morning, we might get lucky with wrap-around moisture and energy keeping snow showers going in the northern mountains through early afternoon. I say ‘lucky’ because the powder will only be good while the sun is behind the clouds, so if we can keep the clouds and snow showers around through at least half of the day, the powder will be fun to ski and won’t turn into a dense, manky mess as early as I originally thought. That said, if there is a break in the clouds on Saturday morning for just 30-90 minutes, this can be enough sunshine start turning the snow.

Sunshine aside, the plan to ski the resorts that remain open should be the same as we’ve talked about for days. While there could be some powder on Friday afternoon, the best chance to ski the deepest snow will be on Saturday morning. By Saturday midday, total snowfall should be in the 8-16 inch range for most areas, thanks to the high amount of moisture in the air.

Below is the forecast radar from Friday morning through Saturday afternoon. You can see the band of heavier precipitation push north and east, and then you can see precipitation wrapping around the storm on Saturday morning. The time at the top is given in Zulu, or GMT, so subtract 6 hours to figure the time in Colorado. If you cannot see the animation, click here: https://opsw.co/2vvBJem

The last thing I want point out is the continued uncertainty in the exact snowfall amounts. Yes, we have a lot of moisture in the air, which provides the chance for deep snow totals. But as the storm crosses Colorado, it will weaken and wobble, and this is introducing lots of variability in the models.

Below is the snow forecast from three versions of the CAIC WRF 2km model for Friday night. Each version was made 6 hours apart from the other, with the older model on the right and the newer model on the left. Look at the difference between the images!

To wrap up, lots of moisture can mean lots of snow, so I still think most mountains will do well, and we’ll probably see some higher-than-expected totals and perhaps a skunk here or there. Regardless, I hope you have a great time skiing during the storm, and let’s hope that the clouds and snow showers stick around longer on Saturday to keep the sun at bay.

Extended Forecast

I do NOT see any cold and significant storms following this Friday/Saturday system. Of course, you’ll be able to enjoy turns through May both inbounds and in the backcountry, but right now I do not see any other chances for deep, late-season powder.

Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

JOEL GRATZ

Announcements

Geography Key

Northern Mountains
Steamboat, Granby, Beaver Creek, Vail, Ski Cooper, Copper, Breckenridge, Keystone, Loveland, Abasin, Winter Park, Berthoud Pass, Eldora, Rocky Mountain National Park, Cameron Pass

Along the Divide
Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, Winter Park, Berthoud Pass

East of the Divide
Eldora, Echo, Rocky Mountain National Park, Cameron Pass

Central Mountains
Aspen, Sunlight, Monarch, Crested Butte, Irwin, Powderhorn

Southern Mountains
Telluride, Silverton – north side of the southern mountains | Purgatory, Wolf Creek – south side of the southern mountains

About Our Forecaster

Joel Gratz

Founding Meteorologist

Joel Gratz is the Founding Meteorologist of OpenSnow and has lived in Boulder, Colorado since 2003. Before moving to Colorado, he spent his childhood as a (not very fast) ski racer in eastern Pennsylvania.

Free OpenSnow App