Summary:

Dry Thursday and Friday. Then snow showers on Saturday, with steady snow on Sunday and Sunday evening. You'll find the best powder during Sunday's last run and Monday's first run with about a foot east of the divide (Eldora), 6-10 inches along the divide (Winter Park, Loveland, Abasin), and 3-6 in the mountains west of the divide and on the eastern plains. Next Monday and Tuesday will be dry, then snow will return on Wednesday and Thursday (April 16/17). The following weekend should be dry (April 19/20).

Details:

A weak storm is passing to the north of Colorado this morning. Radar is showing some precipitation falling over northern Colorado, but the air is very dry near the ground so most of this precipitation is evaporating before it hits the earth.

Thursday morning radar over the north-central US. Source: Weathertap.com

During the rest of the day on Thursday, a few showers may be strong enough to produce rain drops or snow flakes that actually reach the ground, but most locations will just see partly sunny skies and warm temperatures.

Friday will be even warmer and continued partly to mostly sunny.

Saturday will be a transition day with increasing clouds and a few showers. 

On Saturday night, our next snow storm will move closer with a few inches possible over the mountains of the northern divide, but the main batch of snow will wait to arrive until Sunday.

Expect snow to begin Sunday morning and fall steadily from around midday through sunset. This means that the powder will get deeper through the day, so plan to hit the slopes late and stay through last chair. There's also a good chance that a few inches will fall after lifts close on Sunday, so the first few turns on Monday morning should also be good. 

The best moisture will reside on the east side of the divide, so Eldora and the eastern foothills should see about a foot with upslope winds (from the east). The plains to the east should also see snow, perhaps 3-6 inches mainly on non-road surfaces. The divide itself will see significant totals as well, with 6-10 inches likely for Winter Park, Abasin, and Loveland. West of the divide, northwest winds will allow for respectable totals, but moisture will be more limited, so I think 3-6 inches is a good bet for most other mountains. As usual, you can compare the forecast for each mountain, and get even more details for each resort by clicking on its name in the list: http://opsw.co/CO1-5

The heaviest precipitation on Sunday and Sunday evening will fall east of the divide. The numbers given are for liquid equivalent precipitation. Multiply by 12 to estimate snowfall. Source: Weatherbell.com

Next Monday and Tuesday should be dry.

Long Range:

An additional storm (or two) will hit Colorado during the middle of next week. Expect snow on Wednesday and Thursday (April 16/17), perhaps some snow lingering into Friday the 18th, and then a dry weekend for April 19/20.

JOEL GRATZ