Colorado Daily Snow

Heads up, there may be fresher snow! Read the latest Colorado Daily Snow

By Joel Gratz, Founding Meteorologist Posted 4 years ago November 9, 2019

More resorts open, hints of snow in the forecast

Summary

Friday was another sunny and warm day, and Saturday will be similar and even a touch warmer. Then on Sunday night into Monday morning, a storm will sideswipe northeastern Colorado, bringing a touch of snow and cooler temperatures. We could see another sideswiping system around November 13-14, and then chances for a storm will increase starting around November 17th and continue through the rest of the month.

Short Term Forecast

Friday was a beautiful day with blue skies and warm temperatures. I enjoyed a few runs at Keystone on my way to Frisco for Friday evening’s talk and had a lovely afternoon cruising around in the sunshine.

Friday was also opening day for Breckenridge and Copper, and each resort will now be open each day through the rest of the season.

Here is a recap of the mountains that are open every day.
* Arapahoe Basin
* Breckenridge
* Copper
* Eldora
* Keystone
* Loveland
* Winter Park

Two other mountains will be open this weekend, but will NOT be open during the upcoming week.
* Monarch (Fri, Nov 8 – Sun, Nov 10)
* Wolf Creek (Sat, Nov 9 – Sun, Nov 10)

And the last piece of resort news is that Steamboat announced that they will open early with lifts spinning on Friday, November 15th.

Temperatures

Without much snow in the forecast, the temperature outlook is important when it comes to the ability for resorts to make snow.

On Saturday we’ll see highs in the 40s to 50s. Temperatures will then cool a bit on Sunday, and we'll see more cooling on Monday with highs dropping into the 20s-30s.

For overnight lows, temperatures will be marginal for snowmaking during the weekend and then the cooler weather on Monday should allow lows to get into a favorable range for more efficient snowmaking. And for the rest of the week, nighttime snowmaking should be able to continue at higher-elevation mountains, and the snow on north-facing terrain will not melt thanks to the lowering sun angle.

Snowfall

The first storm of the week will brush by northeastern Colorado on Monday morning. Most of the accumulating snow will be on the foothills and plains east of the mountains, though a few mountains could see a dusting to an inch or two of snow.

A second storm could brush by northeastern Colorado around Wednesday or Thursday, but right now this system looks weak and we may not see much or any snow.

Extended Forecast

Finally, I have some better news in the long-range.

The weather pattern for the upcoming week (Monday, November 11 – Friday, November 15) will keep the storm track just to the northeast of Colorado.

And then during the following week (Monday, November 18 – Friday, November 12), the pattern should push back toward the west a little bit, giving us a better chance for storms (no guarantee, though!).

In the graphic above, I purposefully made the pink storm track lines thick and transparent to show the uncertainty in the storm track. At least we will have a chance for some action!

I can’t provide many details about the forecast beyond 10 days from now, though a few models are hinting at a storm around November 17-18th, so that’ll be our first focus and we’ll see what happens after that.

And just in case this is your first time reading the Colorado Daily Snow this season, I will repeat…

* The snowfall we had in October was well above average, some mountains are open, and more will be open soon.

* Temperatures should be cold enough for nighttime snowmaking to continue.

* If we can get a few significant storms in late November through early December, terrain options will quickly expand.

* Neither a snowy October nor a dry November tells us anything about how much snow we’ll see from December through April. We'll take each storm as it comes and enjoy the ride.

Thanks for reading!

My next update will be on Sunday morning.

JOEL GRATZ

PS –  I hope to see some of you at one of my upcoming talks listed below!

Announcements

Upcoming talks

These talks are usually 45 minutes and allow me to show a little of the science behind snow forecasting, have some fun, and answer lots of questions. I’ll post details about each talk as they are available.

* Nederland: Nov 12 @ Salto Coffee / Tin Shed Sports
- 300-600pm: Happy Hour
- 600-605pm: Eldora News and Intros
- 605-615pm: POW Presentation (Kerstin Ulf)
- 615-645pm: OpenSnow Presentation (Joel Gratz)
- 645-700pm: Q&A with Kerstin & Joel
- More details

* Denver: Nov 14 @ Denver Athletic Club
- Show up before 600pm to check-in and grab a drink
- Talk starts at 600pm
- $5 entry fee gets you a beer and snacks
- Must register here

* Wheat Ridge: Nov 19 @ Downriver Equipment
* Evergreen: Nov 21 @ Boone Mountain Sports
* Breckenridge: Dec 6 @ Colorado Mountain College Breckenridge
* Basalt: Dec 12 @ Bristlecone Mountain Sports

Plug for the 12th Annual CAIC Benefit Bash
- November 23rd at the Breckenridge Riverwalk Center
- The biggest fundraiser of the year for CAIC
- LOTS of prizes, awesome live music, silent and live auctions, dinner, and drinks
- Win skis, splitboards, packs, and more
- Get your ticket today!

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

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

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.

Free OpenSnow App