Thursday’s weather was sunny and warm, with high temperatures in the upper 30s. It was also a bit windier than previous days, which you could feel in areas that were not as sheltered from the breeze (on exposed ridges, away from the trees).

Friday’s weather will be similar to Thursday with a high temperature in the 30s and gusty winds. We’ll also see more clouds throughout the day as moisture increases ahead of our next storm. These clouds plus the wind could make the temperature feel a bit cooler than it really is.

The next storm will arrive on Friday night and I expect snow to fall between about midnight Friday through Saturday early afternoon. I think 2-4 inches is a reasonable forecast, with the best chance for snow between about sunrise Saturday and noon on Saturday. The base will be hard and crunchy in many areas, though the groomers should ski nicely with a fresh coat of snow on top.

Following this system, we should see dry weather on Saturday night and Sunday morning, then a weak and disorganized storm from the southwest could bring more clouds and times of flurries or light snow later on Sunday and Monday. Accumulations should be very light.

Next Tuesday and Wednesday will be dry and warm, then the next storm will slowly move toward Colorado later in the week. We’ll have a chance for snow next Thursday, but the best chance for more significant accumulations will be from later next Friday through next weekend. Even though this storm is over one week away, I still have reasonable confidence that we could enjoy a significant powder day or two sometime next weekend or even into early the following week (March 17-19). Keep your schedule open:-)

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for an update each morning!

JOEL GRATZ, Meteorologist at OpenSnow.com