Potential grows for ‘potent’ midweek storm across Colorado Rocky Mountains
Ian Zinner/Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
A “potent’ storm system is expected to track across Colorado midweek, and forecasters say snow accumulations could reach the double digits.
With less than one month before the historic peak for snowpack levels in the state, the storm could be pivotal for banking up water content that will feed creeks and reservoirs through spring and summer. The state’s snowpack levels are currently hovering around 99% of the 30-year median.
National Weather Service meteorologists say the highest potential for snowfall will be between Wednesday night and Friday morning, noting that the storm track is favorable currently. However, meteorologists say the exact track is highly uncertain currently and that snow total forecasts won’t be solid until about 24 hours before the storm makes its way to Colorado Wednesday.
Meanwhile, forecasts are predicting light snowfall nearly every day this week for higher areas of the state.
Open Snow founder and lead meteorologist Joel Gratz shared an optimistic outlook Monday in his daily blog for Colorado mountains.
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“Monday and Tuesday will be dry with a few snow showers and light accumulations on Monday night,” Gratz wrote. “Then from Tuesday night through Friday, a complex storm will bring snow to all mountains with likely less than 10 inches for the majority of locations and 10-20+ inches across the eastern and southern mountains.”
While he is hopeful that the storm will deliver this week, he said it’s likely that forecast models will shift as the storm nears. Right now, he says Front Range mountains are favored over central and northern mountains, while southern mountains will see a bulk of the storm’s energy.
Long-range forecasts are calling for a nearly weeklong dry period after the storm wanes over the weekend. Then, there’s a possibility for a storm to track across Colorado before the month ends.
This story is from SummitDaily.com
