On Thursday and Thursday night, storm #1 brought periods of light snow, mixed with sunshine, to most of Colorado. Accumulations were generally just a dusting to an inch. Beaver Creek and Steamboat were the only locations I found with more than one inch as they reported 2 inches on Friday morning.

Now on Friday morning, storm #1 is swirling well to the south of Colorado, with snow falling across Arizona and New Mexico.

During the day on Friday, storm #1 will throw a surge of moisture north into Colorado, and this should bring another round of snow to most mountains during Friday midday, afternoon, and evening. 

Most mountains will just see a dusting to an inch or two of snow on Friday.

The wind direction at about 10,000 feet will be from the southeast and east for most of the state, and this favors higher amounts in the eastern and southeastern mountains. Wolf Creek has the best shot at significant accumulations (4-8 inches), and the Sangre de Cristo mountains (southeastern Colorado) as well as Monarch and perhaps Eldora could see a few inches more than other areas.

The best chance for powder skiing will be at Wolf Creek on Friday last chair and more likely on Saturday first chair.

Friday night should bring an end to the snow.

Saturday and Sunday will be dry for most mountains. The northern mountains may hang on to a few clouds and flurries, especially on Saturday and Saturday night. Sunday will be the warmest day of the next week with high temperatures in the upper 20s to mid-30s. If you’re looking for a sunny and warmer day to make turns and have a beer on an outdoor deck, Sunday is your day!

Storm #2 will arrive late on Sunday night and could bring flakes all the way through Wednesday morning. I still cannot give you a confident forecast concerning the time and location of the best powder.

Rather than one distinct system, Storm #2 will likely move through in the form of at least two waves, one on Monday and another on Tuesday. The exact track of each wave will determine which mountains will get the best snow.

The graphic below is from the University of Utah and I agree with the range of snow accumulation possibilities that it shows: 4-18 inches.

Yes, I know that’s a laughably large range, but I can see reasons why any of these scenarios could come to fruition.

If the system stays further to the north, much of Colorado would see lighter snow. If the storm moves further south just a bit, all mountains could get multiple waves of snow and we could get 12+ inches. And if the storm digs far to the south, the southern and eastern mountains would be favored with less snow for central and northern areas. Ah, so many options!

What I do know is that the best time to ski powder will likely be Monday afternoon, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning. Also, Tuesday night through Thursday will be very cold with temperatures likely not getting much above 0 degrees.

Following Storm #2 we will see dry weather on Thursday and Friday.

Storm #3 will likely bring snow back into the forecast during the weekend of December 10-11. Sorry, I can’t say more about storm #3 at this point. Can’t say or won’t say? Can’t say. I would if I could!

Have a great Friday and thanks for reading!

JOEL GRATZ

1) I am giving a talk at the Topo Designs store at 9th and Pearl St in Boulder on Tuesday, December 6th. Come for beers and snacks at 6pm and I’ll give a 30-minute talk starting around 630pm.

2) Contest – Prepare for the upcoming season with the Gear Up For Winter Sweepstakes presented by Liftopia! Prizes include new DPS skis, limited edition SPY goggles, Yakima cargo box, and $1,500 worth of gift cards from Liftopia, EVO, and The Feed. Enter to Win: http://opsw.co/2gdRiuy

3) We are writing Daily Snow posts specific to Steamboat (http://opensnow.com/dailysnow/steamboat), Copper (http://opensnow.com/dailysnow/copper), Vail (http://opensnow.com/dailysnow/vail), and Breckenridge (http://opensnow.com/dailysnow/breckenridge).

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, Abasin, Winter Park, Berthoud Pass

East of the Divide
Eldora, 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