It was a long time coming, but Colorado ski resorts are about to get walloped by much-needed snow.
Early-season snowfall has been sparse and infrequent, but Steamboat is forecast to receive 30 inches from Friday through Sunday, with other northern mountains receiving a foot or more. The central mountains can expect 6-12 inches, while the southern mountains should receive 3-8 inches.
The OpenSnow forecasting and reporting service is forecasting 18 inches for Vail, 16 for Beaver Creek, 15 for Copper Mountain, 14 for Arapahoe Basin and Loveland, 13 for Breckenridge and 11 for Winter Park, Crested Butte and the Aspen areas.
In his Thursday morning update for Colorado, OpenSnow founding meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote that Friday will see light to moderate snow for the northern and central mountains, followed by intense snow Friday night or early Saturday morning. Saturday will see intense snow and lots of wind, with the storm ending by midday Sunday.
“Expect impacts to lift operations and low visibility on the roads due to blowing snow and possible/likely road closures due to accidents and low visibility,” Gratz wrote, adding that mountain roads “could be a mess,” especially in the northern mountains.
Ski areas throughout the state have base depths well below normal for the date. A dozen have base depths that are 50% of normal or lower.
Here is Gratz’s prediction for weekend skiing conditions:
Saturday: “Storm skiing! Snow. Wind. Limited terrain. It’s going to be wild/messy/interesting/fun.”
Sunday: “The morning could be sublime with dense-ish snow as a base (due to Saturday’s wind) and fluffier snow on top, especially in the northern mountains.”