Recap of Wednesday

We saw snow through the day on Wednesday and into Wednesday evening with 6 inches as the official report and about 2 of these inches falling on Wednesday night after lifts closed. Due to warmer temperatures and lots of moisture in the air, the snow was denser than normal.

Thursday

Expect dry weather and partly to mostly cloudy skies through the day.

Snow Thursday night to Friday night

Flakes will return starting around sunset on Thursday night and we’ll see snow through Friday evening. Friday morning will offer 3-7 inches of dense snow (more with some luck), and then plenty more snow should fall on Friday morning and midday as the wind direction blows from the west, which is the best direction for snow at Steamboat. Storm total snowfall will likely be 6-12 inches and the best powder should be on Friday morning through early afternoon, with an added bonus being that the snow falling on Friday will be lighter and fluffier due to colder temperatures.

Something to watch for is what happens on Friday night. We’ll see lingering moisture, a wind from the west-northwest at times, and a temperature cooling to 10F at the summit. In the past, these were important factors when we have received a Steamboat Surprise with a lot more snow than expected, but not every time we see these factors do we get a Steamboat Surprise. Keep your eye on the summit snow stake cam on Friday night to see if there will be surprise deepness on Saturday morning.

Next storms

The weekend should be dry aside from lingering moisture and snow showers that are possible on Saturday. Then a moderately strong storm could bring 3-6 fluffy inches from Sunday night to Monday night, and another storm is possible around Thursday, January 24th.

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

JOEL GRATZ
Meteorologist at OpenSnow.com
Contact me: [email protected]

Snow conditions as of Thursday morning

New snow mid-mountain:
* 6” (24 hours Wednesday 500am to Thursday 500am)
* 1” (Overnight Wednesday 400pm to Thursday 500am)

New snow summit:
* 7” (24 hours Wednesday 500am to Thursday 500am)
* 2” (Overnight Wednesday 400pm to Thursday 500am)

Last snowfall:
* 6” on Wednesday & Wednesday night (January 16)

Terrain
* 16 of 18 lifts
* 169 of 169 trails
* Latest update

Snowpack compared to 30-year average:
* 100%