Wednesday was a windy day that also brought snow. We were thinking that accumulations would be 2-4 inches by the afternoon, and we wound up with about 4 inches by the early afternoon. But then, the wind direction unexpectedly (at least to me and most models) changed to blow from the north-northwest during the afternoon, and this ideal wind direction helped the atmosphere to deliver an additional 4-5 inches late in the afternoon and into the evening. We wound up with 9 inches from this storm, well above expectations!

Thursday will be dry with cold morning temperatures in the single digits rising to the teens and low 20s.

On Thursday night and Friday morning, the next storm will bring snow. This system looks ok for Winter Park. The energy tracking over northern Colorado is good, but a wind direction from the west and west-northwest is not the best. I think our snowfall will be in the 1-4 inch range. The snow will be fluffy thanks to cold temperatures and not-too-fast winds. The best time to enjoy some soft snow on groomers will be on Friday morning through midday, with snow showers ending by midday or afternoon. Friday's temperatures will be chilly, in the single digits and teens.

The forecast for Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday is for dry weather and mostly sunny skies. Saturday will be chilly with highs in the teens and low 20s, then Sunday through Wednesday will be warmer with highs in the 20s and low 30s.

The next stormy period should begin on Thursday, December 23rd with storms potentially hanging around through at least December 30th. I have no idea if we'll see a little snow, a medium amount of snow, or a lot of snow during this time, but at least there will be multiple chances for snow. Some of Mary Jane just opened, and if we get these storms around Christmas, maybe that will be the kick we need to have a lot more terrain open.

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

JOEL GRATZ
Meteorologist at OpenSnow.com

Snow conditions as of Thursday morning

New snow mid-mountain:
* 9” (24 hours Wednesday 500am to Thursday 500am)
* 1” (Overnight Wednesday 400pm to Thursday 500am)

Last snowfall:
* 9” Wednesday & Wednesday Night (Dec 15)

Terrain
* 12 of 21 lifts
* 32 of 166 trails
* Latest update

Snowpack compared to the 30-year average:
* 75%

PS – Late this week, we are going to make some significant changes to OpenSnow. If you're an All-Access subscriber (thank you!), you'll see no changes. If you are not an All-Access subscriber, here is an FAQ with more details about the upcoming changes, and we hope that eventually, we'll earn your support.

Here is a 3-minute video that I made (with my son Levi) to introduce a few of the upcoming changes. Please watch the video to at least see what Levi has to say to everyone at the end (non of this was scripted/rehearsed and I'm surprised it worked out!). If you can't see the video embedded below, tap here.