Winter is not over yet! Some Colorado ski areas could see up to 16 inches of powder this weekend
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily
Winter conditions will resume in Colorado this weekend following a warm week, according to OpenSnow forecasters.
Ski areas across the state could receive 8 to 16 inches of snowfall between Friday, April 18, and Saturday, April 19, OpenSnow founding meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote in a blog post. After the powder, warmer weather is expected to return Sunday, April 20.
“The main takeaway is that there should be good powder on both Friday and Saturday, and the snow quality will be pretty decent as temperatures during the storm will range from the upper teens to low 20s,” Gratz wrote.
Some forecast models show places like Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Loveland Ski Area, and Winter Park Resort receiving up to 15 inches of snow, according to OpenSnow. Other spots like Vail Mountain, Copper Mountain, and Breckenridge Resort could receive a foot of snow.
The snowstorm is forecast to begin Thursday night and subside by Saturday afternoon, Gratz said. Skiers and snowboarders on Friday should find “reasonably soft conditions” on the slopes, while Saturday might bring the “softest conditions” — but only if snow hangs around Friday night, he said.
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While he said he trusts that many mountains will receive 8-16 inches of snow, he said that there is the potential for the storm “to dive far to the south and bring less snow to the northern mountains and more snow to the southern mountains.”
Wet road surfaces will begin early Thursday night, followed by slick, snow-packed roads from early Friday morning through Saturday night, OpenSnow meteorologist Sam Collentine wrote in his update for the Interstate 70 mountain corridor.
OpenSnow meteorologists are also tracking a snowstorm that could hit Monday, April 21, into Tuesday, April 22, and another that could start up around Sunday, April 28, Collentine said. So winter isn’t over yet.
“After a very mild and quiet first half of April, Colorado is doing its classic spring dance with storms lining up just as many ski resorts shut down for the season,” he said.
