Colorado Daily Snow

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By Joel Gratz, Founding Meteorologist Posted 9 years ago September 22, 2014

Rain today, then storm tracking for next weekend

Summary:

Monday will be cloudy with rain showers, then Tuesday through Saturday should be mostly dry and sunny. Multiple storms will likely bring chilly air, rain, and high-elevation snow to Colorado from Sunday through much of next week. 

Details:

The rain moved through as expected over the last 24 hours with most mountains seeing rain on Sunday and Sunday night. Amounts totaled about 0.50 inches, which isn't a big storm but is a healthy amount of water. Some locations near Durango saw a few inches of rain on Saturday night into early Sunday morning which resulted in flooding.

colorado weather forecast

Precipitation reports. Source: CoCoRahs

Monday will be similar to Sunday with clouds and showers for most mountains. The storm is slowly moving to the east, so western Colorado might see drier skies by Monday evening while the central and eastern mountains continue to see precipitation.

Moisture and clouds will hung the northern mountains Monday night into Tuesday morning, and if this were winter, it could mean a sneaky powder day on Tuesday morning for Steamboat, Loveland, and others. However at this point is means that Tuesday morning will just be a little cloudy for northern Colorado while most other areas are clear.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday should be sunny and gorgeous across the state. Take a day off of work to enjoy the fall colors and do it while everyone else is working:-) Each of these days might offer a brief shower over the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo mountains, but these showers should be rather weak for the most part.

I think we'll eek out a decent day on Saturday with mostly dry conditions and gusty winds, then our next storm will arrive late Saturday night or Sunday.

Right now I think the transition day will be Sunday with clouds increasing and many afternoon and evening showers. A cold front will likely push through Sunday afternoon or Sunday night which should drop snow levels down to perhaps 11,000ft.

The storm responsible for this change in weather will be cut-off from the main flow, and these storms usually move more slowly than the models think. The American GFS model is once again showing a faster movement than the European model. The image below shows that the GFS forecast is about 450 miles east (faster) than the European forecast for Saturday night. I'm going to hedge toward the slower European model and say that the storm doesn't really affect us until Sunday afternoon and Sunday night.

colorado weather forecast

Forecast comparison showing the American GFS model and the European model. Source: San Jose State University

The details for next week are murky, but the general idea is this: Look for cooler weather from Monday through at least Thursday, with a few waves of rain and high-elevation snow showers. If this were winter, I would be excited for a few good powder days as the snow piles up and the temperatures keep it fresh. But it's autumn, so it just means that the peaks will have snow, some Aspens will still have golden leaves, and it'll be the first week that feels like the season is changing.

JOEL GRATZ

PS - If you're the parent of a 5th or 6th grader, check out the School of Shred to get your kids four free days of skiing at five different mountains associated with the Epic Pass. Non Epic-Pass mountains across the state offer a similar program called the 5th and 6th Grade Passport.

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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