Colorado’s central and northern mountains to see moderate snowfall Tuesday as greater storm builds for Thanksgiving week
Despite a multi-day dry spell, statewide snowpack remains around normal
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily
Light to moderate snowfall is slated to arrive in Colorado’s mountains Monday night and into Tuesday — with a stronger storm potentially on its way for the week of Thanksgiving.
The central mountain Gore and Mosquito ranges along with the Park and Flat Tops ranges to the northwest are favored to see the bulk of this week’s snow, said National Weather Service meteorologist Zach Hiris.
Around half a foot could accumulate in those areas, though more snow is possible at the highest elevations, Hiris said.
“It will be a light snow and pretty cold and pretty breezy,” Hiris said. “Definitely more (snow) for the (Interstate 70) and northern mountains this time around compared to the last couple of storms.”
Temperatures are expected to drop Tuesday, going from highs of 30 and 40 degrees to daytime temperatures in the 20s or teens in valley areas.
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“This storm should have a pretty good surge of cold air as it moves through the region,” Hiris said. “(We’re) definitely looking at 10 to 15 degrees colder across most of the region.”
The cooler conditions could help preserve snowpack that has, so far, been trending above normal. Also referred to as snow-water equivalent, a measurement of how much liquid water is held within the state’s snowfields, snowpack is a key performance metric for the winter season and an indicator for spring runoff.
Previous storms this season have boosted snowpack even amid the more recent dry spell. As of Monday, Nov. 18, statewide snowpack stood at 115% of normal, according to data from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
In a typical season, Colorado’s statewide snowpack peaks in early April with a snow water equivalent of 17.5 inches, representing the average volume of water frozen in the snow. Currently, the statewide snowpack holds an estimated 2.7 inches. Compared to this time last year, the snowpack held 1 inch.
The remainder of this week is projected to see warmer, drier weather at least through Sunday, with a second more powerful system appearing to be on track to hit the state by next week.
“The pattern does look more favorable towards some cool and snowier weather across the mountains as we get closer to Thanksgiving,” Hiris said.
Forecasters are warning of treacherous winter conditions during what will be one of the busiest travel periods of the year, with OpenSnow.com meteorologist Sam Collenine writing in a Monday blog post, “Start planning for very snowy road surfaces during the week of Thanksgiving.”
“We could see snow return as early as Sunday … and continue through the majority of next week with healthy snow totals,” Collentine wrote. “… this would be an ideal pattern to close out the month and really set us up for a lot of skiable terrain as we head into early December. Stay tuned as we dial in the details this week.”
According to projections from the Climate Prediction Center, Colorado has an elevated chance of seeing above-normal precipitation through Dec. 1, though temperatures could also be warmer than usual.
