Total snowfall through Tuesday afternoon for Colorado. Light or dark blue for most of Summit County (2-6) with higher amounts East and south into the central and southern mountains | Image: WX Bell

[Forecast courtesy of Powderchasers]

SUMMARY:

Yesterday there was hope for a decent dump in Summit County as models shifted a bit north and West. Today the models show most snowfall headed for the southern and central mountains focusing on metro areas along the Front Range. Wolf Creek may see 7-10 inches but is closed for the season (Might reopen on weekends depending on snowfall). Some optimistic thoughts bring wind direction from North/ North East Tuesday to Northwest Tuesday night which could kick off light snow for most of the mountains along I-70 and including Vail, Aspen, and most of Summit. My gut tells me Tuesday might bring moderate snow to Monarch Pass but it’s certainly a wildcard. The I-70 corridor will see a teasing of light or moderate snow for Tuesday first chairs.

Short Term Forecast:

Snow will begin to move into the 4 corners today. I feel most of the snowfall gets contained to areas from Durango and East (Light) with moderate or heavy amounts late today and tonight over the Eastern side of Wolf Creek Pass (The ski area is closed but should still reap some moderate rewards). Moderate snow is also possible for the Central mountains along Highway 285 where heavy snow is likely on the East side of the passes. Monarch is my wildcard chase for Tuesday (Good snow cams) but my gut tells me that the highest snow totals will be found just East of the ski area. They reported 8 inches on the last storm however the snow cam was at 2-3. Can anyone verify?

Elsewhere, it’s not a complete skunk! Some snow is still likely along I-70 including Aspen, Summit, Eagle, and areas West of the Divide. I think you will see a wide area of 2-5 inches for Tuesday morning. Higher amounts might occur south of Interstate 70 (Breckenridge beat the odds on the last storm). Loveland Pass could also sneak out higher amounts but failed on the last storm. It will be snowing lightly on your drive up to the mountains Tuesday so a few additional inches are possible during the day. Light snow showers should persist over I-70 Tuesday evening as the winds veer to the Northwest favoring resorts towards Vail (Light). Temps should be colder than the last storm so quality could be decent if we get lucky!

Moisture takes aim at northern New Mexico during the morning hours Tuesday. Taos will see some snow however highest amounts might be confined just north and East of the ski area. I suspect 3-7 inches is likely for last chair Tuesday (My wildcard). Significant snow will be falling north and east. Its possible that Angel Fire reap higher rewards? NW flow is depicted on the models late Tuesday which would benefit Taos (Most moisture is on the decrease).

Extended Forecast:

The extended forecast has lots of optimism. A significant storm system will slam into the Sierra beginning Friday. I expect 2-4 feet at the higher elevations with lots of caveats. Strong winds Friday and perhaps Saturday may put a damper on chases. This is not the April Fools Joke we pulled on Saturday! Wind protected resorts with less Alpine prone areas might be your best bet. Snow levels Friday are at 7000 lowering to 5500 Saturday. Good quality snow with wind impacted areas are likely Saturday. I like the low snow levels of this storm for Saturday or Sunday (Winds should decrease late Saturday).

A Unsettled pattern will exist for the Pacific Northwest Wednesday-Saturday with continues light to moderate snowfall above 5,000 feet. The interior of BC could reap deeper rewards by Saturday? It’s been raining in Seattle for nearly every day in March.

Total snowfall through Sunday morning over the Sierra! | Image: WX Bell

The California system shows hope for Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and eventually Colorado late this weekend or early next week. I see a wide area of 8-12 inches for the Rockies. Initially warm temperatures will keep low elevation snowfall to a minimum before colder air arrives behind the surge of moisture. It’s possible that the tail end of the system with colder air puts down a good frosting of light density that could make for some decent conditions for the Weekend. We will post updates during the week.

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