Well, we tried to launch our super cool new feature yesterday afternoon (list of current features), and it literally crashed our servers. Whoops! The new feature is Timelapse Webcams, which is useful when determining when it snowed or if it's currently snowing, and this also functions as a feature that will waste many minutes of your day because it's so cool to look at. The technology works, but we need to figure out how to serve up all of these images without crashing our servers. Stay tuned!

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Summary: Two weak storms will bring snow to northern Colorado Wednesday night and Friday morning, but totals look a little lower than I thought they'd be. Friday night through Sunday afternoon is dry, then another weak to moderate storm brings snow to northern Colorado on President's Day. A stronger storm arrives on Wednesday into Thursday and some midweek powder days are likely.

A few weak storms will move through the northwest flow over the next two days. Here's a great graphic from the Boulder National Weather Service office showing the path of these systems. A little bit of snow is falling over northern Colorado now, but the brunt will come later tonight.

The good wave of energy will arrive Wednesday night through Thursday morning. This will mean a few inches from I-70 northward by Thursday morning, and Steamboat will likely see more than other locations, though the northern divide from Loveland to Winter Park, Eldora, Indian Peaks, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Cameron Pass will be favored as well.

There should be a lull in the snow from midday Thursday afternoon through Thursday night. This is why I removed the "powder day" designation for Thursday for all areas. Another wave of energy will arrive very late Thursday night into Friday morning and this will begin another round of heavier snow. Again, the same areas I mentioned that will be favored in the first wave will be favored in this wave. Friday morning could turn out to be pretty fun for these northern areas, though I'd stop short of calling it a powder day with the possible exception of Steamboat.

A cool new feature of OpenSnow Pro is "Forecast Trends". It shows how the forecast is trending over time. The example below is for Vail. Look at Friday...see the upward pointing blue arrow? This means the forecast is trending upward. Three days ago, I had 0" as a forecast for Vail on Friday. Then yesterday I upped it to 1-2", and now I upped it again to 2-4" because of the Friday morning wave of energy that can bring another few inches to Vail. Other symbols indicate a downward trend in the forecast (for Thursday) or no forecast trend (Thursday night). We all know that forecasts change, and we show those changes here so you can have the best information to make a decision about where and when to ski. This chart is available by clicking on the trend symbols on each resort's page as well as a new tab on the state page, and it's available to Pro members. No other weather website gives you this level of detail, but we think it's just the smart thing to do because you should be armed with the same information that I am as I look for trends in the forecast. If you're not a Pro member, try it out free for 10 days...I think you'll love it. And yes, these trends are available for EVERY ski area in the country, not just Coloado.

After a dry 48 hours from Friday evening through Sunday evening, the next storm will drop down from the northwest and bring another round of snow to northern and eastern Colorado. This storm does not look like a big one, but it will bring at least another 3-6 inches of snow to northern Colorado, and this time the front range cities (Denver, etc) might see some flakes. If this happens, traffic could be a real pain returning from the mountains on Monday night, so stay tuned. Best way to avoid this is to either come back before noon or late Monday night or Tuesday morning.

We'll see another break on Tuesday, and then the real deal arrives. I think next Wednesday (Februrary 20th) is going to be a big day for Colorado, with the highest chance in the San Juans, and then better snow moving to central and northern Colorado Wednesday afternoon and night. Many times in situations like this, we can get a northwest flow on the backside of the storm, which keeps snow going for northern Colorado (I-70 and north) for 12-18 hours after the storm passes. This would be a great scenario, but too early to know the details...

There will be additional storms late next week through next weekend (February 22-24th), but there's just no way to nail down timing or amounts at this point. As promised, the last two weeks of February look super active, starting with two or three storms next week. Don't expect every storm to produce huge powder days, but an active pattern means good chances for powder days and a high probability of improving the snowpack across the state. 

Yes, this is a bueno-packed forecast. Glad you're here to read it and enjoy! And thanks to the over 900 of you who have signed up for Pro and SuperPro. I'm hoping that we cross the 1,000 mark this week, and I can't tell you how excited I am to provide a product that nearly 1,000 people (or more?!) find valuable. Not only is this great for us, but it signals to the people of the internets that yes, information is worth paying for, even if it happens online. With your dollars, I can spend more time improving the site than on making advertising deals, which right now (sadly) takes up the majority of my time. Advertising does serve a purpose and is valuable for both the advertiser and for people to discover new brands and deals, but I hate to spend more time on that than improving our site and our forecasts.

If you are not a Pro or SuperPro member, that's cool (seriously). But I do think the webcam comparison pages will be very helpful over the coming stormy period, and the trends and long-range forecast will also help you nail down your plans. And of course SuperPro members will get this write-up delivered via a silver platter each day (OK, it's via email, but still pretty cool). Even if you don't want these features, I still appreciate your support and your viewership!

JOEL GRATZ