I-70 Daily Snow
By Sam Collentine, Meteorologist Posted 5 years ago December 18, 2018
Snow is coming, details uncertain
Summary
Mostly dry on Tuesday, followed by a quick wave of heavy snow from late Tuesday night through midday Wednesday. Dry conditions follow for Thursday and Friday. Snow returns over the weekend and through next week but the details are still uncertain.
Short Term Forecast
Tuesday
Partly to mostly cloudy skies but dry conditions will be the story through Tuesday afternoon. Temperatures will start in the upper teens and rise into the 20s by midday. Flakes should begin to fly on Tuesday evening ahead of a stronger wave late Tuesday night.
Wednesday
Following off-and-on showers through Tuesday night, we'll see the nose of the jet stream dip into northern Colorado late Tuesday night and into early Wednesday morning. This will bring us strong winds and moderate to quick periods of very heavy snow through midday.
Expect reduced visibility and possible lift and road closures through Wednesday morning as the jet stream roars overhead. Keep a close eye on CDOT for the latest updates.
In total, look for 3-7 inches along the I-70 mountain corridor, with wide totals from Vail through Loveland due to the nature of this storm.
The storm will then begin to wind down on Wednesday evening, with only a few lingering snow showers through Wednesday night. Temperatures will climb only into the teens to low 20s on Wednesday so bundle up if you enjoy storm skiing!
Thursday - Friday
Dry conditions follow on Thursday and into Friday as we catch a break ahead of multiple waves of snow through the week of Christmas. Look for partly to mostly sunny skies and breezy conditions on Thursday, followed by milder temps and partly to mostly cloudy skies on Friday.
For travel, the road surfaces will start wet and icy on Thursday morning but they will quickly become clear and mostly dry by Thursday afternoon. Look for slower travel speeds over the higher passes on Thursday morning and normal speeds from Thursday afternoon through Friday evening.
Extended Forecast
This Weekend & Beyond
Following the break on Thursday and Friday, we should see snow return over the weekend but I have very low confidence in the details. Flakes should begin to fly by late Friday night and into Saturday morning, followed by periods of snow through Saturday.
We'll then shift to Sunday night and into Monday, December 24th for another and potentially stronger wave to slide into Colorado.
Looking even further ahead, they'll be another system around Wednesday, December 26th but this could slide more to the south and not give us the goods. More details to come over the next few days.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for daily updates!
SAM COLLENTINE
Contact me: [email protected]
Announcements
About Our Forecaster
Sam Collentine
Meteorologist
Sam Collentine is the Chief Operating Officer of OpenSnow and lives in Basalt, Colorado. Before joining OpenSnow, he studied Atmospheric Science at the University of Colorado, spent time at Channel 7 News in Denver, and at the National Weather Service in Boulder.
Free OpenSnow App
