I'll be off the grid from Saturday through Tuesday, February 28th at the Skinner Hut in central Colorado. Joel Gratz will be taking over my forecast duties until I return on Wednesday, March 1st. Let it snow!

Thursday went according to plan as a quick period of heavy snow pushed through during the morning before turning more showery throughout the rest of the day. Here's the full breakdown of snow reports on Friday morning:

• Winter Park: 9"
• Beaver Creek: 5"
• Loveland: 5"
• Arapahoe Basin: 3"
• Breckenridge: 3"
• Copper Mountain: 3"
• Keystone: 3"
• Vail: 3"

All road surfaces remain under an icy and snow-packed mix from Vail through the Eisenhower Tunnel, with slick surfaces from the tunnel through C-470. As I mentioned yesterday, snow tires, AWD/4WD, and/or an alternative traction device are vital during these periods so please, please, please drive careful and follow the law. 

CDOT Alerts: http://opsw.co/CDOTalerts

CDOT Twitter: http://opsw.co/CDOTtweets

For the rest of Friday, expect periods of light to moderate snow to continue, with an additional 2-4 inches for Saturday morning's reports. Temperatures will only reach into the single-digits so bundle up and brace the storm!

For travel, expect heavier traffic on westbound I-70 on Friday evening, as well as on Saturday morning. Traffic will then transition to eastbound I-70 on Saturday afternoon and during the afternoon hours on Sunday. This will combine with icy and snow-packed road surfaces so give yourself plenty of extra travel time. 

GO I-70: http://opsw.co/GOI70

Moving back into the forecast...after a short break on Saturday, a weak wave will slide over Colorado and bring the corridor 1-3 inches through Saturday night.

Sunday will then again turn mostly dry before we get ready for another strong storm beginning on Sunday night and lasting into next Wednesday, March 1st. Monday night through early Wednesday morning will be the time to watch for moderate to very heavy snow along the corridor and road closures due to accidents. This storm should provide the corridor with 5-10 inches, with Tuesday and Wednesday morning being the best times to catch fresh turns. 

After the exciting end to February, all signs are pointing toward a drier pattern to kick off the month of March. The models are hinting at a chance for snow over the weekend of March 4th and 5th but I have zero confidence in this forecast. 

Thanks for reading, travel safe, and have a great Friday!

SAM COLLENTINE

You can always find the specific snow forecast for every I-70 resort, including webcams and snow reports here: https://opensnow.com/region/denveri70