Colorado Daily Snow

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

By Joel Gratz, Founding Meteorologist Posted 1 year ago November 21, 2022

Snow is coming...some this week...more next week

Summary

While most of the next 7-10 days will be dry, there are chances for at least light snow this Wednesday into Thursday and again around Sunday, November 27. Then there should be a stronger storm with the possibility for significant snow around Tuesday, November 29.

Short Term Forecast

This weekend was dry and 100% sunny across Colorado. These conditions allowed an OpenSnow fan, Jon, to snap a few photos of our mountains while on a flight from California to Denver.

Here we see Wolf Creek, which has the majority of its terrain open following a 2-foot storm earlier this month.

And below are some of the collegiate peaks just to the west of the town of Buena Vista.

For this Monday and Tuesday, the sunny and dry weather will continue and temperatures will warm into the 30s for highs, which is a little bit warmer than the temperatures we saw this weekend.

Extended Forecast

It looked like a fully dry week ahead, but now the forecasts are trending toward at least a little bit of snow at two different times.

Our first chance for light snow will be Wednesday into Thursday, November 23-24. This storm will move from north to south across Colorado. While this storm track typically brings very light snow, some models show that this storm will strengthen as it moves across the state, so maybe we'll eke out at least a few inches across many mountains. If this snow comes to fruition, there could be a bit of powder either Wednesday afternoon or more likely on Thursday morning.

Our second chance for light snow will be on Saturday night into Sunday, November 26-27. This storm will likely focus on the northern half of Colorado and it could drop a few inches of snow with a bit of powder on Sunday morning.

Then, it is becoming increasingly likely that a strong storm will deliver significant snow around Tuesday, November 29 to Wednesday, November 30. Most of the versions of the American GEFS model (below) as well as other models now show this potent storm around November 29-30.

Below, the average of 51 versions of the European model show deep blue over Colorado, which is a good signal for a storm around November 29-30.

Aside from Wolf Creek, most mountains currently have just limited terrain open, which is pretty normal for mid-to-late November. The weak storms this Wednesday and the upcoming Sunday likely won't change the amount of open terrain too much, but the storm next week around November 29-30 could provide a chance for significant snow accumulations which would then allow many mountains to open (some) more terrain.

Thanks for reading!

Joel Gratz

PS - I 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
      - Register here
      - 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

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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