Winter has (kinda) returned after about one week of summer.

Showers moved into the northern and central mountains on Tuesday night, and they are continuing now on Wednesday morning.

The national radar shows that the heaviest precipitation is to the north of Colorado.

Over Colorado, we see lines of showers over most mountains. This is showery precipitation with breaks of sun and periods of snow.

Temperatures are warm with a snow level between about 10,000-11,000 feet. Most ski areas will only have a dusting to 2 inches of new snow. Here is a webcam image from Willow Creek Pass, northwest of Winter Park.

Expect these showers to continue through Wednesday morning with more sun and less rain/snow by Wednesday afternoon.

We should be mostly dry on Wednesday night through noon on Thursday, then the next storm will bring showers on Thursday afternoon, Thursday night, and Friday. The snow levels should be a bit lower during this time, getting down to 8,000-9,000 feet, so most mountains will receive measurable snow.

We should see average snow amounts in the 3-6 inch range in the central and northern mountains from Thursday afternoon through Saturday morning. If a few heavier cells hit certain areas, 10+ inches isn’t out of the question by Saturday morning. The best time to enjoy some of this thicker powder will be on Friday and again Saturday morning.

Below is the CAIC WRF precipitation forecast through Saturday morning. Amounts are generally in the 0.3-0.7 inch range, which at a 10:1 snow ratio amounts to 3-7 inches. This feels about right for this storm.

On Friday afternoon and evening, there will be some storm energy (vorticity) and the jet stream over the northern mountains, and this can cause more snow than expected. Keep your eye on SNOTEL stations and snow stake cameras on Friday and Friday evening to see if we get a surprise which would create powder for Saturday morning first chair. I like Berthoud Pass and Winter Park as the locations which have the best chance of seeing this upside surprise.

Saturday should be a partly sunny and dry day across the state, and we should stay dry through Tuesday morning April 25. Then, between next Tuesday and the following Saturday (April 25-29), we may see one or two storms bring snow to the entire state.

Thanks for reading and have a great Wednesday!

JOEL GRATZ