There is a LOT of snow coming and we should have fantastic conditions during the next few days. Let’s get to it!

Thursday Night Recap

Snow showers began on Thursday night and continue now on Friday morning. The Friday 500am snow reports show 2-7 inches across the central and northern mountains, so roughly what we expected. The snow is coming in the form of strong cells or bands, so that’s why a few areas received more than others on Thursday night.

Snowfall Thursday evening through Friday at 500am:

Aspen Highlands: 7”
Breckenridge: 5”
Cooper: 5”
Copper: 5”
Keystone: 5”
Loveland: 5”
Monarch: 5”
Snowmass: 5”
Arapahoe Basin: 4”
Aspen Mountain: 4”
Crested Butte: 4”
Sunlight: 4”
Vail: 3-4”
Powderhorn: 3”
Silverton: 3”
Beaver Creek: 2”
Steamboat: 1”
Winter Park: 1”

Snowfall Friday through Monday

After looking at all of the models this morning, I will make some small changes to the timing of the snow, but no large changes to the forecast. I am still expecting another 12-24 inches and all mountains should do well by Sunday midday.

Friday

* Snow continues for the central and northern mountains.

* Continued low confidence in exact amounts because there will be narrow west-to-east bands of precipitation and it’s impossible to know where these bands will set up.

* Best estimate is another 3-6 inches, maybe 8 inches under an intense band.

Friday Night

* Snow could continue on Friday evening for the northern and central mountains, then it’ll likely ease up around Friday night at midnight as the cold front moves north of Colorado and a strong band of snow sits over southern Wyoming.

Saturday Morning

* You’ll find fresh snow in the central and northern mountains thanks to the snow that should fall on Friday late afternoon and early evening. Even if overnight amounts are not deep, remember that conditions should still be good because we will have had snow for 24 hours from Thursday night through Friday evening and this will have softened up the mountain.

* On Saturday morning, the cold front and attending band of intense snow should sag south from southern Wyoming and drift over Steamboat. It’s possible that Steamboat doesn’t report much snow on Saturday at 500am and then it starts to snow very hard just after report time and the intense snow continues around Steamboat for most of the morning.

Saturday Late Morning through Saturday Evening

* Snow should continue around Steamboat (thanks to the stalled cold front) and snow will ramp up for the central and southern mountains by mid-to-late morning as energy increases.

* The wind direction from the west-southwest should favor areas around Snowmass, Crested Butte, Monarch, maybe Telluride, Silverton, maybe Purgatory, most likely Wolf Creek.

* There is a LOT of moisture coming, so snowfall could be intense.

* Temperatures will be warm for most of the day, so snow quality will likely be thicker and surfier. The exception is around Steamboat where the cold front will bring colder air and the snow quality should become fluffier.

Saturday Night

* Snow might wind down in the far north (around Steamboat) and snow should continue for I-70 and the central and southern mountains.

* I-70 areas might ramp up late Saturday night into Sunday morning as the cold front sags south and the wind direction switches to blow from the west-northwest and northwest.

Sunday Morning

* Sunday morning should be when most mountains enjoy the deepest powder thanks to snow all day Saturday and Saturday night.

* Total amounts on Saturday and Saturday night will likely be 8-16 inches for most areas. And remember, this snow will be on top of the new snow from Friday, so it should ski very well.

* The best quality snow might be around Aspen / I-70 / north as these areas will see colder air work in on Saturday evening and Saturday night as the cold front drops south and then stalls.

* Additional snow should fall on Sunday along I-70 and south, though my confidence is low concerning these details.

When to find the deepest snow

Steamboat should be getting deeper on Saturday and that could be the best day there. For other mountains, while Friday and Saturday will be fun with increasingly deep snow, I still think I'll give the edge to Sunday morning for the deepest amounts.

Sunday Night through Monday

* I have low confidence in the forecast for this time.

* We might see snow continue, most likely in the southern mountains and maybe in the central mountains and as far north as I-70.

* If we do see snow continue further south, then my pick for Monday might be Telluride or Wolf Creek or even Taos, New Mexico (or most of northern New Mexico) as these areas will continue to get deeper and might be best on Monday.

Love powder? Good, because there’s more snow coming!

* Wednesday, March 6 – Thursday, March 7: A warmer system, maybe best powder on Thursday, March 7.

* Friday, March 8 – Saturday, March 9: Timing might be pushed back a bit, not sure if all mountains get snow or if southern mountains will be favored. Could be powder on Saturday, March 9.

* Another storm around Tuesday, March 12 – Wednesday, March 13.

* Another storm around Friday, March 15 – Saturday, March 16.

The dates and details of these storms are still “ish” since they are 5-10+ days away. No matter, it is super exciting to see consistent chances for snow through at least the middle of March!

Thanks for reading!

My next update will be on Saturday morning.

JOEL GRATZ

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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, Arapahoe Basin, Winter Park, Berthoud Pass

East of the Divide
Eldora, Echo, 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