Colorado Daily Snow
By Joel Gratz, Founding Meteorologist Posted 1 year ago November 19, 2022
Four days of sunshine, then midweek flakes
Summary
On Friday, the snow ended in the morning across the northern mountains. Now on Saturday, we'll start a four-day period of sunny weather and warming temperatures. These dry days will end with a fast-moving midweek storm around November 23-24, then we'll head back into another multi-day dry period before the next storm likely arrives around November 29-30.
Short Term Forecast
Friday morning was a powder morning across many northern mountains with 4-9 inches of new snow that fell from Thursday evening through Friday mid-morning. This snow ended by around Friday midday and then clouds lingered through the afternoon.
Now on Saturday morning, skies are clear (see the stars on the mountain cam image of Mt. Sopris) and mountain temperatures are chilly with sunrise readings around 0°F.
Saturday and Sunday will be sunny and warmer than the past few days with highs in the 20s.
Monday and Tuesday will also be sunny and warmer still with highs in the 30s.
Our statewide snowpack is right around 100% of the average for this time of the season, and this is enough snow (combined with snowmaking) that many mountains are open or will open over the coming week. Still, inbounds open terrain is generally limited.
Extended Forecast
Our next chance for snow will be across the northern mountains from Wednesday, November 23 to Thursday, November 24. This storm should track to our north and east and just clip the northern mountains, so my expectations for snowfall are pretty low, and this is still a five-day forecast, so things will likely change. But hopefully, we can get lucky and enjoy a bit of a refresh just before Thanksgiving.
Following the midweek system, we should see dry and warm weather just after Thanksgiving from Friday, November 25 through about Monday, November 28.
It's then likely that a stronger storm will track close to or through Colorado between Tuesday, November 29, and Thursday, December 1. All three longer-range forecast models (below) are now showing higher odds for this storm to move from the west coast into Colorado between November 29 - December 1.
With dry weather during most of the next 9-10 days, our statewide snowpack will likely slip below 100% of the average for the season, though hopefully the storm around November 29 - December 1 will give us a bump back up toward average.
Thanks for reading!
Joel Gratz
PS - I just took this survey about "Sliding With Respect" and it would be wonderful if you could contribute your thoughts as well. The survey is being run by a group at Fort Lewis College in Durango. Take the survey.
PPS - I have two more in-person talks planned for early December. I hope to see you there, and maybe significant snow will return by these dates;-)
Announcements
Upcoming In-Person Presentations
Join me for in-person presentations this fall. These talks are fun (yes, powder science IS fun:-), and I'll discuss thoughts about the upcoming season and snow forecasting tips and tricks. Also, your attendance at many of these talks supports a local non-profit, so thank you for coming!
- Tue, Dec 6. Summit County
- Presentation in the evening
- More details soon! - Fri, Dec 9. Basalt (Bristlecone Mountain Sports)
- 700pm Doors Open & Refreshments
- 730pm Presentation by Joel Gratz
- Registration opens on Nov 18
- Proceeds benefit Roaring Fork Conservancy
New Feature: Forecast Anywhere
You can now get a forecast for any location (on land) across the globe, and you can save any of these "Custom Locations" as a favorite.
Any "Custom Location" comes with estimated 24-hour snowfall. This means that you can set a "Custom Location" for your favorite backcountry spot and get estimated snowfall and estimated snowfall history. Since most backcountry areas do not have snow measurement equipment located at that exact spot, this feature will be a useful way to get a general estimate of how much snow has fallen.
To set your first "Custom Location", make sure that you are using the latest version of our iOS or Android apps (this works on our website, too!), then go to the Map tab, tap any spot on the map, and you're on the way to creating your first "Custom Location". You can learn more about Forecast Anywhere in this short how-to article.
Being able to get the forecast and save points as "Custom Locations" means that you can use our forecast data for any place you'd like to go - for backcountry skiing, camping, or even to see how much we think it'll snow in your backyard :-) And remember that "Custom Locations" works worldwide, so if you're traveling to a spot on the globe where we don't have a resort-based forecast (we have forecasts for many spots outside the US), go ahead and set up a "Custom Location".
And the last note is that "Custom Locations" are private and no other OpenSnow users will be able to see the "Custom Locations" that you create.
Please check out this new feature and let us know what you think!
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