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 December 9, 2022

Snowpack status check & next week's strong storm

Summary

Thursday delivered low-end powder amounts mostly to the northern mountains. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be mostly dry with comfortable high temperatures in the 20s and 30s. For next week, a strong storm will bring snow from Monday through Wednesday (or even into) Thursday with powder likely in the southern mountains on Monday and for other mountains on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Short Term Forecast

It's been a fun December with a healthy snowpack and already some enjoyable powder days.

Thursday

Snowfall by Thursday midday ranged from 2-8 inches across the state and that brought most mountain's weekly snow total to the 9-18 inch range thanks to the storm early in the week and the storm on Wednesday night into Thursday.

Powder Pictures

I think that I tend to over-share weather maps and under-share pictures of humans enjoying the snow, so here are a few pictures of humans:-)

From earlier in the week at Loveland:

And from late last month at Eldora, my son is learning to appreciate a soft snow surface, though I think I should take him back to the east coast to give him an appreciation for the conditions that I grew up skiing on (my favorite snow report term was "Loose Granular").

And it's a treat when you can ski back to the car!

Snowpack Status Check

It's now December 9 and our statewide snowpack (technically the amount of liquid water in our snowpack) is at 108% of the 30-year median. This is a good number and far better than last season when we were at 50% of the median on this date.

With more snow in the forecast, we should be able to stay near or above the median snowpack through at least the next 10 days.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

The weather on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be mostly dry, mostly sunny, and warm-ish with daily high temperatures in the 20s and 30s. On Friday afternoon and evening, a weak storm could bring some flakes to the northern and central mountains, but accumulations now look like they will be between no flakes and just a few flakes with maybe a measurable amount of snow closer to the Colorado/Wyoming border.

Extended Forecast

The main story in the extended forecast is the strong storm that will impact our weather for the first four days of next week.

On Monday, a wind direction from the southwest means that the most snow will fall over the southern mountains and some west-central mountains. For these southern and west-central areas, Monday could wind up being a fun powder day by midday or afternoon. For other mountains, there could be some snow on Monday, but it likely won't be until later in the day.

From Monday night through Wednesday night, a wind direction from the northwest will bring the chance for consistent snowfall for most of the northern mountains, some central mountains, and the northern part of the southern mountains around Silverton and Telluride. I cannot pinpoint an exact time in the Monday night through Wednesday night timeframe that will offer the most intense snow, but I can say that Tuesday morning should be powdery thanks to the snow on Monday night, and the rest of Tuesday and Wednesday should be deeper thanks to the consistent snowfall.

The map below is a multi-model average precipitation forecast and I noted the approximate snowfall ranges on the map.

The upside to this storm is the long duration of potential snowfall in northwest flow. Even if snow amounts are not deep in any 6-12 hour period, consistent snow for 48 hours should result in great conditions. Also, the storm will be strengthening over eastern Colorado and into the northern plains, and strengthening storms can bring upside surprises compared to the forecast.

The downside to this storm is the cold air (daytime temperatures in the single digits and below zero above the mountaintop) and the resulting lack of moisture on Tuesday and Wednesday. While the storm's strength and slowness make me think that snowfall amounts will be significant on Tuesday and Wednesday, the cold air and lack of moisture have me questioning what we'll get out of the system since low moisture in the atmosphere can mean small snowflakes and lower accumulations. 

The bottom line is that Monday afternoon and/or Tuesday morning should be the deepest in the southern mountains, and Tuesday morning through Wednesday evening could be the deepest for most other mountains.

Beyond next week's storm, it looks like we'll see a few days of dry weather late in the week and to start the weekend (December 15-17) then there will be a chance for another storm (or storms) starting around December 18 and into the week leading up to Christmas.

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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