Copper Mountain Daily Snow
By Joel Gratz, Founding Meteorologist Posted 6 months ago April 26, 2024
Late season powder!
Summary
Thursday night's storm delivered 5 inches of snow which will be fresh on Friday morning. The next storm will bring snow on Saturday with 6-12 inches and powder throughout the day.
Update
Thursday
Thursday was dry and sunny at the start, then we saw increasing clouds with snow starting around sunset. Snow fell intermittently throughout the night and we wound up with about 5 inches by sunrise on Friday morning.
Friday
Friday morning will be fun with the 5 inches of new snow skiing softly on previously-groomed runs and/or low-angle terrain. Most of the day will be dry with some sunshine and temperatures rising into the mid-30s, so the new snow will eventually turn to gloop due to the high late-April sun angle.
Saturday
The next storm will bring snow from late Friday night through Saturday evening. The most intense snow should fall between about sunrise and mid-afternoon and we could see free refills during the day with 6-12 inches of accumulation. While daytime temperatures will be in the upper 20s and the sun angle is high, the snow intensity could be enough to overcome these factors and provide soft and not-too-dense powder conditions. Also, during the most intense snowfall, I-70 could be snowpacked, so be ready for winter driving conditions.
Sunday
The storm will wind down on Saturday night and Sunday, though snow showers could continue with at least a few inches of new snow accumulation by Sunday morning. If there is new snow, get after it early before the April sunshine and rising temperatures (mid-30s) turn the snow to goop. Alternatively, allow the snow to turn to goop and enjoy the spring conditions:-)
Longer Range
Most of next week looks dry and warm with just a few mid-week showers and maybe gusty winds late in the week.
Next Update
I'll update again on Saturday morning and Sunday morning, and while the mountain will stay open into May, my final post for the season will be on Monday, April 29.
Thanks for reading!
JOEL GRATZ
Meteorologist at OpenSnow.com
Snow conditions as of Friday morning
New snow mid-mountain:
* 5” (24 hours Thursday 500am to Friday 500am)
* 5” (Overnight Thursday 500pm to Friday 500am)
Last snowfall:
* 5” Thursday Night (April 25-26)
Terrain
* 12 of 23 lifts
* 115 of 157 trails
* Latest update
Snowpack compared to the 30-year average:
* 98%