Wednesday was a clear yet windy day across Colorado. Here is the view of Monarch Mountain with snow holding on the northeast aspects.

The story of Wednesday was the wind, especially near and along the continental divide. The fastest gust I could find was 92mph at the top of Mines Peak (12,490ft), which is to the immediate east of Berthoud Pass.

Looking ahead, we'll continue to deal with the wind on Thursday, with somewhat lower speeds on Friday. There could be a few showers on Friday, but for the most part, Colorado will be dry through the end of the week.

Storm #14 from Saturday through Tuesday

The next storm will bring snow to Colorado for four days, starting on Saturday and continuing through Tuesday night. Do NOT expect snow to fall during this entire 96 hour period, but waves of snow will hit Colorado at various times throughout the weekend and into next week.

This storm will hit most of the western US and Canada with 10-20+ inches of snow, so this is a good start to November and should help to build the bases, especially for many mountains in the northern Rockies. The deepest totals could be in the Tetons around Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee.

Here in Colorado, this is how I think the storm will play out.

From Saturday through Monday, expect warmer temperatures and winds from the southwest. The warmer temperatures will favor snow at mountains above 10,000 feet, and the winds from the southwest will favor snow for the southern and south-central mountains.

From Monday night through Wednesday morning, expect cooler temperatures and winds from the west and west-northwest as the second part of the storm moves through Colorado. Tuesday-day and Wednesday morning could be the time of the coldest and deepest snow. The wind direction from the west and west-northwest will also favor most mountains, bringing more snow to the north and central mountains.

Since the wind direction will be from the southwest during most of the storm (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday), I expect the deepest snow during this time to fall in the southern and south-central mountains, with less snow in the north. The northern mountains will get a shot of snow on Tuesday into Wednesday, but I don't think the totals in the north will catch up with the south.

The average snow forecast (green bar below) of 51 versions of the European model support my thinking. Irwin is located west of Crested Butte, in the south-central mountains, while Berthoud Pass is in the northern mountains. This is a 3-6 day forecast, so don't take the numbers literally to the inch, but I think the direction of the forecast looks about right.

Recap - expect snow each day from Saturday through Tuesday night, with the most snow in the southern and south-central mountains and lower totals in the north. Total snowfall should be 10-20 inches, with the best chance for cold powder on Tuesday-day and/or Wednesday morning.

I am not sure about the forecast after next Wednesday. There will be cooler air and stormy energy hanging around the west coast and northern Rockies later next week and weekend, but I am unsure if this energy and cold air will hit Colorado. Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading!

JOEL GRATZ

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Next Talks

Bentgate Mountaineering in Golden on Wednesday, November 8th. See you there!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1209665705844183/

Mountain Chalet in Colorado Springs on Wednesday, November 15th. See you there!
I'll post more details soon

Geography Key

Northern Mountains
Steamboat, Granby, Beaver Creek, Vail, Ski Cooper, Copper, Breckenridge, Keystone, Loveland, Abasin, Winter Park, Berthoud Pass, Eldora, Rocky Mountain National Park, Cameron Pass

Along the Divide
Loveland, Abasin, 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