Colorado Daily Snow

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

By Joel Gratz, Founding Meteorologist Posted 2 years ago November 6, 2021

One moderate storm

Summary

Saturday and Sunday will be dry, sunny, and warm. Monday and Tuesday will be a bit cooler and there could be a shower on Monday afternoon or Monday night. Wednesday into Thursday will be our best chance for snow with moderate amounts likely and the northern mountains will be favored. After that, we could return to dry weather for 7-10 days, though that's not a lock.

Short Term Forecast

Our last storm was on Tuesday into Wednesday, November 2-3. That feels like ages ago as we've seen dry and warm weather for the last few days. So let's remember what winter looks like and throw it back to Wednesday, November 3 and a snowy scene from Cameron Pass sent in by a reader.

The warm weather that we've seen during the end of the week and that we'll see over the weekend isn't the best if you're searching for powder here in Colorado, but it's ideal for getting in some relaxed turns, especially as a 4-year-old, so I went out with my son on Friday as it's hard to beat 100% sunny skies and on-mountain temperatures in the low 40s. And nighttime low temperatures have been juuuust cold enough for some snowmaking, so bit by bit, there will be more terrain openings coming up.

Weatherwise, Saturday and Sunday will be sunny, dry, and warm with on-mountain temperatures in the 40s.

Monday and Tuesday should also be mostly dry, a few degrees cooler than the weekend, and the northern mountains could see a shower later on Monday afternoon and into Monday night.

Wednesday and Thursday will be the time when we'll have a chance for snow. This storm continues to look "meh" with the best energy and snow tracking to our north. There is still a chance that we'll see a more direct hit (c'mon Canadian model!) but the average of many models shows just moderate snow totals with up to about 3-8 inches for the central and northern mountains.

If you're chomping at the bit to enjoy fresh snowfall next week, Wednesday and/or Thursday morning will likely be the best time to enjoy some freshies.

Extended Forecast

Once we move past the storm next Wednesday and Thursday, the weather pattern looks unfavorable for snow for us here in Colorado.

The 10-day average forecast from November 11-20 is for cool and stormier weather in the midwest and northeast and for warmer and drier weather for a lot of the west and the Rockies.

Below, the average of many versions of the European and American GEFS models show about the same forecast from November 11-20. Boo.

While this looks bleak, averages can be deceiving. Both of these models, and the 15-day Canadian model, present scenarios where the storm track pushes farther to the south with snow clipping or making a direct hit on Colorado. 

My takeaway for the longer-range forecast is to keep our hopes low but not to completely give up hope of more snow into mid and later November.

Thanks for reading!

JOEL GRATZ

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Geography Key

Northern Mountains
Steamboat, Bluebird Backcountry, Granby, Beaver Creek, Vail, Ski Cooper, Copper, Breckenridge, Keystone, Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, 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

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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