Despite the uncertainty in the forecast for Friday's snowfall, the flakes came through and we picked up 6 inches across the mountain. The 6 inches of total snow was above the high end of the forecast range, and it likely occurred thanks to a favorable wind direction from the north-northwest (the best wind direction for Winter Park). Even though the overall snow total is still relatively low, the 6 inches was about as much snow as was possible from the moisture-starved system, so let's call it a win. Every little bit of snow helps us to maintain the snowpack and the snow quality across the mountain.

Now for the holiday weekend (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) and into Tuesday, we'll flip back to dry weather, sunny skies, and comfortable temperatures which will rise into the 20s each day. If you head out early in the morning, expect to feel colder temperatures right at the base and warmer temperatures up on the hill (called a temperature inversion).

The weather pattern for the next two weeks will NOT be favorable for a lot of snow, but we will still see a few chances for flakes as storms brush by Colorado on their way to the east. Our upcoming chances for snow will be on or around Wednesday, January 19, Saturday, January 22, and Thursday, January 27. My expectations for snow during these dates are low, but maybe the atmosphere will surprise us on the high side.

Looking farther out into the future, all of the longer-range forecast models continue to show a more favorable weather pattern developing during the end of January and into early February. If this happens, it will NOT guarantee us a lot of snow as we head into February, but it will improve our odds for snowfall quite a bit.

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

JOEL GRATZ
Meteorologist at OpenSnow.com

Snow conditions as of Saturday morning

New snow mid-mountain:
* 6” (24 hours Friday 500am to Saturday 500am)
* 0” (Overnight Friday 400pm to Saturday 500am)

Last snowfall:
* 6” Friday (Jan 14)

Terrain
* 23 of 23 lifts
* 149 of 166 trails
* Latest update

Snowpack compared to the 30-year average:
* 105%