Colorado Daily Snow

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

By Joel Gratz, Founding Meteorologist Posted 7 years ago October 24, 2016

Update about the Monday-night storm

Short-Term Forecast

Expect rain and snow to fall on Monday night with showers lingering through Tuesday.

Normally that would be a fun forecast to start out the week, but there is one problem. Temperatures are warm thanks to the flow from the southwest, so snow levels will be high - likely around 11,000 feet.

Here is the precipitation forecast:

And here is the snow forecast:

Most of the precipitation will fall late Monday night through very early Tuesday morning. It could come down heavily for a few hours, especially overnight.

The snow level will likely start around 11,000 feet, though could drop lower as temperatures decrease overnight and during times of heavier precipitation.

Snow amounts are hard to forecast because I think some of the precipitation will be convective (like a thunderstorm), so some areas will receive heavier showers while others may receive much less precipitation.

On average, I expect 3-6 inches of snow above 11,000 feet, and perhaps double digits on the highest peaks if a few heavier cells move over a particular area.

There might be a bit of fresh snow at Abasin (the only resort that is open at the moment) on Tuesday morning, but cool your jets because I don’t think we’ll be talking about a legitimate powder day at this point. No matter, turns are turns, so make 'em if you can!

Extended Outlook

Unfortunately, we are not going to see a pattern change within the next 7 days. We’ll stay warm (10-15 degrees above average) for at least one week. There might be a bit of precipitation late Friday into Saturday, but it looks like this storm will mostly miss us to the north and west, and once again, we'll be warm with high snow levels.

Speaking of north and west, that’s where a lot of the precipitation is going to fall during the next 7-10 days. However, temperatures will be warm everywhere thanks to the flow from the southwest, so snow levels will be rather high across the western US and Canada as well.

For more graphics covering the long range, check out yesterday’s post: http://opensnow.com/dailysnow/colorado/post/6169

Snowmaking

Temperatures will cool slightly behind the Monday storm, so there should be some high-elevation snow making on Tuesday through Wednesday. However, with above-average temperatures likely persisting through at least the end of October, I don’t see any periods where the snowmakers will consistently be able to crank the guns.

Overall, it’s a bit of a bummer to not see a strong, cold storm in the forecast, but let’s enjoy the precipitation on Monday night. We are a dry state, so nearly any and all precip is a good thing here in Colorado!

JOEL GRATZ

Monday, October 24th: Live Podcast recording in Boulder

This is going to be awesome. I’ll be joining a live panel with some of the finest folks in the ski industry, talking about what’s new for this season. See the list of dignitaries and RSVP here (or if you can’t see the link, just come to Neptune Mountaineering at 6pm on Monday): http://opsw.co/2ehZ3kC

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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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