DENVER — Colorado’s latest weather forecast shows the mountains, portions of the foothills and Palmer Divide will see the potential for heavy snowfall this weekend before an unsettled weather pattern moves into Denver toward the later half of the weekend.
While no winter weather alerts have yet been issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) in Boulder, upwards of 8 to 16 inches of snow is possible in some parts of southwest Colorado, said Denver7 Chief Meteorologist Mike Nelson.
“The mountains will get a fairly decent storm out of this with as much as 8 to 16 inches of snow in the southwest with 3 to 6 inches possible across the southwest part of the metro down into Jefferson County and maybe Douglas County,” said Nelson.
Only up to an inch or two of snow totals were expected in Denver, according to Nelson.
The Denver metro’s weekend forecast will bring a mixed-bag of weather with mild and pleasant conditions to start on Saturday before cooler weather moves in Sunday and Denver’s snow potential arrives but not until late Sunday into Monday.
“In Denver wet roads by Sunday afternoon as rain showers switch over to snow Sunday night into early Monday,” added Denver7 Meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo. “It doesn’t look like heavy snow for the metro area but enough that the Monday morning commute could be slick.”
Saturday’s weather forecast for Denver brings more sunshine and warmer temps reaching the mid 60s. On Sunday, Denver’s afternoon high temperature will only reach around 48 degrees and the overnight low into Monday will drop to the low 20s.
While the Monday morning commute in the metro could bring precipitation, Colorado’s higher elevations should see the brunt of the storm.
“That mountain snow is really going to get going late Saturday into early Sunday, so we’ll start to see some wet conditions over those high mountain passes and then some heavier snow showers expected across parts of southwestern Colorado and the central mountains throughout the day Saturday,” said Nelson.
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For travelers to Colorado’s ski areas from the Denver area, the drive home could be a little snowy.
“Sunday night into early Monday is likely when we’re going to pick up most of our accumulations in the mountains. That Sunday drive back from the high country will see more snow covered roads,” said Hidalgo.
While not a major winter storm, there remains some uncertainty in the forecast.
“Higher confidence in snow-related impacts exists for the mountains/foothills/Palmer Divide Sunday p.m. into early Monday. More uncertain for the metro,” said the NWS in its Friday morning update.
Stay with Denver7 for updates on expected snow totals and storm timing.
After a beautiful past few days, next week will bring a slightly unsettled weather pattern dropping temperatures as afternoon high temps will only reach the upper 40s to mid 50s in Denver
SKI AREA FORECASTS FOR THIS WEEKEND
Winter Park Ski Forecast
Weather conditions look fairly mild but breezy on Saturday with a high of 34 degrees expected. On Sunday, slightly cooler with a high of 27 degrees and snow showers and even a possibility of thundersnow. Winter Park snow totals over the last 24 hours have added around an inch of accumulation with the snow base at 77 inches, according to the resort. Winter Park has received 312” for the season.
Copper Mountain Ski Forecast
Over the last 48 hours, Copper Mountain has received around 3” of snow with 36 inches of accumulation reported so far in March. Copper’s weather forecast shows windy conditions and no precipitation expected for Saturday with an afternoon high temp of 34 degrees. On Sunday, scattered storms are possible with a high of 27 degrees. Copper Mountain’s base depth is 62” and the ski area has received 251 inches of snow this season.
Eldora Mountain Ski Forecast
Saturday’s high temperature in the Eldora area should reach the low-to-mid 40s with cloudy conditions. On Sunday, snow returns and the high temp drops to 34 degrees. Eldora has received an inch of snow recently with the snow base at 34” and 221” total snow for the season.
Keystone Ski Forecast
Keystone Resort has recently received 2 inches of snow and is reporting a base depth of 55 inches and 201 total inches of snow this season. The weekend ski forecast for Keystone shows partly cloudy skies and no precipitation on Saturday and a high temp of 44 degrees. On Sunday, gusty winds pick up out of the WNW with thundersnow possible and a high of 37degrees.
Loveland Ski Area Forecast
On Saturday, no snowfall is expected at Loveland and wind gusts out of the WSW of 27 mph are expected. After a high temp of 32 degrees Saturday, Sunday is expected to warm into the upper 20s with an additional 2 inches of snow possible. Loveland Ski Area reports 3 inches of snow recently and 220 total inches this season.
Steamboat Ski Resort Forecast
Steamboat shows 181 open trails and no snowfall over the last 24 hours. 62 inches of mid-mountain base have been reported with a seasonal snow total of 341”. Steamboat’s weather forecast this weekend shows windy conditions with a mix of snow and rain and a high temp of 36 degrees on Saturday. On Sunday, snow sticks around, with the possibility of thundersnow and a high of 25 degrees.
Wolf Creek Ski Area Forecast
On both Saturday and Sunday, Wolf Creek can expect snow showers. The beginning of the weekend will be slightly warmer with Saturday’s high reaching 37 degrees then Sunday’s high temp will drop to the mid 20s. Wolf Creek’s current snow depth at the summit is 86” and there has been no recent snowfall over the last several days. Snowfall year-to-date a Wolf Creek is 288”.
OVERALL PRECIPITATION IN COLORADO
Several recent storms have helped many Colorado communities climb above the average precipitation numbers since January, according to NWS data.
After less snowfall and rain over the beginning of the winter season, Denver has reached 250 percent of average precipitation. The NWS reported Fort Collins reached 227 percent of average precip and Boulder stands at 210 percent of average.
While Denver's recent March snowstorm brought heavy wet snow and accumulations piled up across the metro, the official reporting station at Denver International Airport brought March's snow totals up to 6 inches, while the area normally reports 11.5 inches.
Denver's cumulative snowfall totals for this winter season stand at 35.1 inches, which is around 11 inches behind the normal 46.4 inches expected by the end of March.
To view the Denver snowfall statistics infographics in fullscreen mode click this link.
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