I-70 Daily Snow

Heads up, there may be fresher snow! Read the latest I-70 Daily Snow

By Sam Collentine, Meteorologist Posted 1 year ago January 29, 2023

Break Sunday, Heavy Snow Monday, Powder Tuesday

Summary

1-5 inches for Sunday morning's reports. Storm total of 5-15 inches. Mostly dry on Sunday and Sunday night ahead of another healthy round of snow on Monday afternoon and into Monday night. Dry weather prevails on Tuesday and continues through Friday. Slight chance for snow around February 4/5, followed by better chances beginning around February 7/8.

Short Term Forecast

I-70 Snow Conditions

Snow Report

Snowfall History

I-70 Travel Conditions

Cams

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GoI70 Traffic Forecast

Storm Recap

The resorts picked up another 1-5 inches for Sunday morning's reports, which brings our 48-hour storm total to 5-15 inches. The forecast coming into the storm was for 2-8 inches but as we'd been discussing coming into the storm, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain, Vail, and Winter Park all came through on the upside potential.

Sunday

We'll now receive mostly dry weather, cloudy skies, and temps in the teens on Sunday as we receive an unfavorable wind direction out of the southwest. There could be a few flakes here and there but not much in terms of real snow accumulations.

Monday

Mostly dry weather should continue through Monday morning as we receive cloudy skies and temps in the single digits to low teens. The action will then ramp up on Monday afternoon as good jet stream support and the wind direction shifts to blow more out of the west and west-northwest.

Expect snowfall rates to crank up on Monday afternoon, with a period of very intense snowfall possible between roughly 3 pm and 6 pm. The image below is a screenshot of our forecast radar and you can see the narrow band of precipitation running right through central Colorado around 3 pm on Monday.

This could offer storm skiing turns as snowfall rates approach 1-2 inches per hour for last chair Monday, followed by the storm continuing to deliver heavy snowfall through early Monday night. The snowfall rates will then quickly wind down by late Monday night and we should see clearing skies by first chair Tuesday morning.

In total, look for 4-10 inches from Monday afternoon through Monday night, with excellent turns on Tuesday morning.

The narrow band of snowfall on Monday afternoon will create winners for higher snow totals and not-so-lucky areas for lower snow totals so keep an eye on the snow stake cams and plan to wake up early Tuesday morning to enjoy the goods.

Tuesday - Friday

Monday's storm will then quickly clear out on Tuesday morning and we'll enter a period of mostly sunny skies and quiet weather for the rest of the week. Expect temps in the teens on Tuesday, followed by a jump into the 20s on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. This week will be a great time to get outside and enjoy all of the recent snow.

Travel Forecast

Wet/slushy road surfaces will be encountered on Sunday, Sunday night, and likely through Monday morning. Travel should cruise along at normal speeds.

We'll then be tracking icy and snow-packed road surfaces, along with reduced visibility due to intense snowfall rates, beginning around midday Monday and lasting through Tuesday morning. Give yourself plenty of extra travel time, especially from Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning.

Dry road surfaces and normal travel speeds will prevail by Tuesday afternoon and continue through at least next Friday, February 3. There is a chance for wet road surfaces around Saturday, February 4 but normal travel speeds should continue through at least Monday, February 6.

Extended Forecast

Next Weekend & Beyond

Following the break in the action from Tuesday through Friday, we'll be tracking a weak storm that could bring light snow to Colorado over the weekend of February 4/5. It's nothing to write home about at this point and I wouldn't be totally surprised to see this chance for snow vanish in the coming days.

Looking further ahead, it does look like we'll receive a better chance for "something" around February 7/8 and again around February 10-12. The atmosphere just wants it to snow this winter so fingers-crossed that the storm train will return as we head into the middle of February.

Thanks for reading!

SAM COLLENTINE

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.

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