A significant, much-needed multi-day storm is forecast to bring lots of snow to most of the state’s ski resorts this weekend with eight to 30 inches likely in some places, favoring the northern and central mountains.
OpenSnow founding meteorologist Joel Gratz predicts 12-30 inches in the northern and central mountains by Monday morning, with the most intense snowfall coming Saturday night through Sunday night. The southern mountains are likely to receive eight to 16 inches, Gratz wrote in his Friday morning forecast.
“Snowfall rates should be intense, the winds will be gusty, it’ll be wonderful to watch the snow, and driving could be difficult during this time as well,” Gratz wrote. “Sunday could be the deepest day for snowfall, but based on winds and limited terrain, Monday could be the better pick for powder as more terrain opens and the winds slow down.”
Vail, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain and the Aspen resorts received 3-5 inches overnight. Vail Pass temporarily closed Friday morning, and the men’s World Cup downhill race at Beaver Creek was canceled due to weather. Telluride, which last week delayed its opening until Saturday, received eight inches overnight.
“There is not a lot of terrain open across Colorado as our snowpack is about 50-70% of the median for this date,” Gratz wrote. “Based on the latest forecast data, it looks like the next few days will deliver significant snow totals to the northern two-thirds of the state, and I think there will be a lot more terrain to ride by early next week.”
Gratz predicts gusty winds, intense snowfall and low visibility Saturday night with four to eight inches by early Sunday and more of the same through the day Sunday.
“Sunday is likely to be a wild day across the northern and maybe the central mountains,” Gratz wrote. “Intense snowfall. Gusty winds. Warming temperatures will create thicker snow. Difficult driving conditions due to low visibility from the combination of snow and wind. All central and northern mountains could see another 4-8 inches of snow during the day, and while there will be some powder, the quality of the skiing could be iffy based on strong winds and wind-blown snow. The higher elevations along the divide, and near and north of I-70 (Copper, Breckenridge, Keystone, A-Basin, Loveland, Winter Park, Eldora), could see the most snow as these higher-elevations can do well in these setups with a lot of moisture and warming temperatures.”
The storm should end by Monday morning, which might be a great time to go skiing.
“If all the snow that we’re forecasting comes to fruition, I think Monday could be a day when mountain operations crews clean up a bit, get organized, and could open more terrain,” Gratz wrote. “The potentially thicker snow quality from Sunday, due to the stronger winds and warming temperatures, may be just what we need to create a thicker base and help a lot more terrain become ridable across the state. In the backcountry, be mindful of avalanche risk, which is always heightened with new snow and strong winds.”
