Colorado Daily Snow

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

By Joel Gratz, Founding Meteorologist Posted 4 years ago April 11, 2019

Thursday morning POW!

Summary

Wednesday brought snow to most mountains, with deeper than expected accumulations through midday. Then snow continued on Wednesday night, and now Thursday morning should ski very well with storm totals of 6-25 inches and about half of those totals from Wednesday night. Expect snow showers to continue from Thursday through Saturday, then Sunday and Monday will be dry. The next chance for snow will be from late Tuesday to early Thursday (April 16-18) and then again between April 20-22.

Short Term Forecast

It's Thursday morning, and it's time to go ride powder!

The storm started late Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. A few areas (Beaver Creek, Copper, Vail, Winter Park) picked up 4-8 inches by Wednesday at noon from the early part of this storm, and this was much more snow than I expected. It was just a matter of luck and getting a few stronger cells to track over these mountains.

Then on Wednesday late afternoon and Wednesday night, the storm performed about as expected with an additional 4-8 inches for many mountains, and up to 15 inches on Wednesday night at Winter Park.

Below is the storm total snowfall from Tuesday night through Thursday morning. About 50-70% of this snow fell on Wednesday evening and will be fresh on Thursday morning.

Winter Park: 25” (15” on Wednesday Night)
Vail: 12-18” (12” at mid-mountain at 10,300ft, 18” at Blue Sky at 11,400ft)
Beaver Creek: 14”
Copper: 14”
Aspen Highlands: 12”
Breckenridge: 11”
Eldora: 10”
Loveland: 8”
Snowmass: 8”
Aspen Mountain: 7”
Keystone: 6”

Highlighting Winter Park, they measured 10 inches on Wednesday, thanks mostly due to getting lucky and seeing a few stronger cells move over the mountain during the day.

And then on Wednesday night, thanks to a wind from the north, I thought that Winter Park could do well, and they got much more snow than I expected with 15 inches on Wednesday night and snow continuing to fall now on Thursday morning. Temperatures are around 10F, and indeed, the snow on the cam (below) looks fluffy!

At Vail (below), they also received a surprise 4-8 inches early on Wednesday, and then on Wednesday night, another 4-8 inches fell, which was about what we expected. Elevation can make a pretty big difference, especially with the warmer temperatures of springtime, and the higher-elevation snow stake below at Blue Sky Basin measured significantly more than the snow stake at mid-mountain on the front side (though some difference between these two snow stakes often occurs with storms, regardless of the season).

If you’re reading this on Thursday morning, I hope you’re about to head out the door and get to the mountain. Temperatures are cold, between 5-15F this morning, and they should stay pretty chilly through the day, in the teens, with additional snow showers and light accumulations. BUT, we are in mid-April, the sun angle is high (equivalent to about September 1), so if there is any break in the cloud cover that allows the sun to shine for even a few minutes, the top of the snow surface will become thick and you’ll notice it. Don’t delay, ski early today!

Extended Forecast

Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Snow showers will continue with light accumulations and a few cells that bring a brief period of more intense snow. The storm we were expecting on Saturday will deal us a glancing blow, with a chance for steadier snow east of the divide and some showers elsewhere on Saturday.

Sunday, Monday

Sunny, dry, and warmer with highs in the 30s and 40s.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (April 16-18)

This storm should bring snow from later Tuesday through early Thursday. The best powder could be on Wednesday (April 17).

Next storm

Sometime around April 20-22, though it’s too far out for any specifics.

Thanks for reading!

My next update will be on Friday morning.

JOEL GRATZ

PS – Send any powder pictures from today to [email protected] so we can all share in the stoke! Include the date, general location, and the name of the photographer and rider. Thanks!

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.

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