Monday was a sunny and warm day, and Tuesday and Wednesday will be the same with high temperatures in the upper 30s to mid-40s and few or no clouds in the sky. The good news during this warm and dry spell is that at least nighttime temperatures are still cool enough for some snowmaking.

From Wednesday afternoon through Thursday evening, we will see more clouds and cooler temperatures with Thursday's daytime highs in the upper 20s to mid-30s.

On Thursday night into Friday, the first piece of the upcoming storm will likely track just a bit too far to the east to bring snow, though if this energy pushes farther west, we could see some flakes.

On Friday through Saturday, additional pieces of storm energy will track from west-to-east across Colorado, and this is when we will see the best chance for snow. Model forecasts are not yet locked into the track of this energy, but we should see snow showers and at least a couple of inches of accumulation. A few models show 6+ inches and a few models show just an inch or two. If we shoot for the middle of the scenarios, then the right call should be for at least a few inches of snow and softer conditions on Friday and Saturday.

I am cautiously excited about a stormier weather pattern coming up, starting during the week of December 14th and continuing into early January.

All forecast models predict an end to our current dry and warm weather and then show the likelihood for storms to track near or over Colorado every couple of days. That’s what we’re looking for – consistent chances for snow. And if we get lucky with an individual storm tracking in just the right way, then big snow totals could be in our future.

It’s too soon to lock in certain upcoming days that will offer powder, or even to know if this upcoming active pattern will significantly deeper our snowpack. But overall, the outlook is positive (if you like snow!) and I will update this rather vague outlook with more details when I get a bit more confidence in the track of upcoming individual storms.

Thanks for reading and check back each morning for daily updates!

JOEL GRATZ
Meteorologist at OpenSnow.com

Snow conditions as of Tuesday morning

New snow mid-mountain:
* 0” (24 hours Monday 500am to Tuesday 500am)
* 0” (Overnight Monday 400pm to Tuesday 500am)

Last snowfall:
* 2” Monday Night to Tuesday (Dec 1)

Terrain
* 9 of 23 lifts
* 30 of 152 trails
* Latest update

Snowpack compared to the 30-year average:
* 87%