Winter weather to return starting Tuesday
Sunday, February 15, 2026
Some sun is filtering through high clouds this Sunday at noon in Steamboat Springs, with temperatures in town at 35 degrees, on the way to the mid-forties, and 25 degrees near the top of the Steamboat Ski Resort. The clouds are in advance of a strong storm system that will bring proper winter weather back to our area starting on Tuesday and lasting through the workweek, replete with high winds, sharply falling temperatures, and one to two feet of mountain snowfall.
An eddy of low pressure incorporating an atmospheric river from just north of Hawaii has formed off the northern California coast, while a wave of energy slides down the British Columbia coast. This wave will ingest frigid air rotating southwestward through western Canada and strengthen, interacting with the eddy on Monday and forcing it eastward across Central California.
These two systems will provide a one-two weather punch for our area, the first on Tuesday as the former eddy moves across, and the second, later Wednesday, when most of the trailing storm follows. Snowfall will continue between and after these storms, lasting from Tuesday morning through Thursday morning, with additional, but likely lighter, snowfall on Friday.
Ahead of the storms, pleasant weather with high clouds and filtered sun will be with us today and on Washington’s Birthday, with high temperatures today in the mid-forties, well above our 34-degree average, and around 50 degrees on an even warmer Monday, despite the clouds.
Precipitation should break out after midnight on Monday, with a rain-snow mix in town changing to snow Tuesday morning. There may be some snow for the mid-mountain morning report, and an additional 1-4” during the day with high temperatures in the low-twenties as the first storm passes overhead. Unfortunately, this will be accompanied by strong westerly winds gusting to as high as 70 mph, possibly affecting lift operations.
Another 3-6” could fall overnight, leaving 4-10” of snowfall for the Wednesday morning mid-mountain ski report. Winds will decrease but remain quite strong, with 50 mph gusts possible and high temperatures falling into the upper teens, along with another 3-6” of new snow.
Meanwhile, the second storm will be forced eastward on Wednesday by an upstream wave now rounding a ridge of high pressure over the Dateline, taking a similar track and eventually bringing additional snowfall to our area on Friday.
So snowfall will continue Wednesday night, possibly becoming heavy at times as a strong cold front associated with the second wave moves through. Combined with the snow during the day on Wednesday, we could see 6-12” reported at mid-mountain by Thursday morning, with more, as usual, up top. Winds will decrease but still remain breezy, and high temperatures up there may not make it out of the single digits, with high temperatures in town finally below average and in the mid-twenties.
There may be a break in the snowfall on Thursday afternoon as a shallow ridge of high pressure builds behind the departing storm and ahead of the final wave. There is some uncertainty regarding snowfall amounts, which could be in the 3-6” range, though not the cold air, as high temperatures will be similar on Thursday, Friday, and a likely sunny Saturday.
Enjoy the mild weather through Washington’s Birthday, and the recalcitrant winter weather that follows, and I’ll have more details on what is looking like a beautiful weekend in my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Thursday afternoon.
Active weather to pause for the weekend
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Thursday mid-afternoon temperatures are around 40 degrees in Steamboat Springs and 25 degrees near the top of the Steamboat Ski Area, with cloudy skies and high-elevation snow showers. The bulk of the storm that brought 10” of snow to mid-mountain and 14” up top so far will depart the area in time for a pleasant Washington’s Birthday weekend, with a beautiful mostly sunny Saturday followed by a much warmer but mostly cloudy Sunday and Monday. Active weather returns for Tuesday and again for the end of the workweek.
After 4” of snow in the last 24 hours was observed at mid-mountain and 6” up top, along with a third of an inch of precipitation in town which was mostly rain, a morning of snowfall brought an additional 6” of snow to mid-mountain and 7” up top, highlighted by a couple of heavy snow showers sporting 3” per hour snowfall rates that dropped 2” of snow between 9:40 am and 10 am, and 1” between 11 am and 11:20 am. However, the mid-mountain accumulations have already settled an inch and a half in the two and a half hours since noon, amid warm, springlike temperatures.
The storm responsible for the sorely needed snowfall is still to our west, stretching from Nevada southwestward to off the Baja coast. The storm will consolidate and move eastward, crossing the Southern Rockies early on Saturday. Most of the energy will remain to our south, but lingering moisture and energy will keep showers going over our area for the rest of today and Friday. Some of these showers may be heavy, especially later this afternoon and evening, with each shower possibly leaving another quick inch or two.
Dry air behind the storm will lead to a beautiful, mostly sunny Saturday as a ridge of high pressure behind the storm and ahead of the next storm moves overhead. This next storm will develop in the Gulf of Alaska on Friday and split early on Saturday, with most of the storm elongating southward along the West Coast and forming an eddy by Saturday night. High temperatures in town will warm from around 40 degrees on Friday and Saturday to the upper forties on Sunday, with another fifty-degree day possible on Monday, despite some cloudiness ahead of the next storm.
Additionally, a storm near Japan will ride over the top of a ridge of high pressure developing south of the Aleutians, mixing with cold air around the Bering Straight on Sunday, and interacting with the eddy off the West Coast on Monday. Current weather forecast models show storm chances on Tuesday, followed by a colder, possibly stronger storm for the end of the workweek.
So enjoy the snow leading into a gorgeous start to the long weekend, and I’ll have more details and snowfall guesses for the workweek storms in my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Sunday afternoon.
Weather pattern to shift Monday with snow likely by later Wednesday
Sunday, February 8, 2026
High clouds and sun are over Steamboat Springs this Sunday at noon with mild temperatures in the low forties in town and upper twenties near the top of the Steamboat Ski Resort. The weather will turn unsettled by Monday afternoon as a grazing cool front brings increasing clouds and a chance of overnight precipitation. Temperatures will cool, though remain unseasonably warm through the workweek, as several interacting storm systems bring good chances of significant precipitation starting later Wednesday.
An eddy of low pressure near Baja sits under a weakening ridge of high pressure over the West, while a large and complex storm system is over the Gulf of Alaska. The ridge is being pushed eastward by a jet stream over the Pacific Northwest, fortified by an atmospheric river from Hawaii, colloquially known as the Pineapple Express.
A wave moving through the Northern Rockies on Monday will graze our area Monday evening, first bringing increasing clouds Monday afternoon, but allowing for another day of high temperatures in the low fifties, well above our 33-degree average. There may be overnight high-elevation snow showers, though accumulations are likely to be negligible.
Meanwhile, another large storm spanning the Northwestern Pacific will eject some waves of energy that will travel through and around the Gulf of Alaska storm on Monday, splitting the jet stream into northern and southern branches. The southern branch will form a couple of eddies; the first one moving across Northern California on Tuesday while forcing the Baja eddy eastward, and the second moving southward well off the California coast.
These eddies will interact, slowing the speed of both and creating a broad trough of low pressure extending from the Northern Rockies southwestward to off the Baja coast. Additionally, at least some of the northern branch of the jet stream, moving along the Canadian border, will also join the party.
Many moving pieces could lead to significant snowfall starting by later Wednesday, including subtropical moisture injected into the southern stream from the Baja eddy, part of the first eddy over Northern California moving toward our area, and cool air from the northern branch of the jet stream. These could combine over a stationary-looking front that would maximize precipitation potential on Wednesday night.
We could see 4-8” of snow at mid-mountain by the Thursday morning mid-mountain ski report, with another 2-5” during the day in our favorable cool, moist and unstable northwest flow behind the storm. There may also be chances for some additional snow on Friday as the rest of the lagging southern end of the trough moves across the Desert Southwest on Friday.
Temperatures will stay mild through the entire event due to the dominating influence of the southern jet stream, with high temperatures in town only falling into the low forties by the end of the workweek.
We may have a nice weekend as a ridge of high pressure trends stronger in the weather forecast models, ahead of another series of storms reloading across the Pacific. Hope for more snow than forecast from this storm system, and I’ll have more details on what follows in my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Thursday afternoon.
Warm and beautiful weekend ahead
Thursday, February 5, 2026
Bluebird skies are over Steamboat Springs on this Thursday at noon, with temperatures in town approaching forty degrees, on their way to the upper forties, and a shockingly warm forty degrees at the top of the Steamboat Ski Resort. Beautiful weather is forecast to continue through the weekend, with cool nights and mostly sunny, unseasonably warm days, interrupted only by some clouds for overnight Friday and possibly later Saturday. The well-advertised pattern change for next week has become more uncertain in the latest medium-range forecasts.
A ridge of high pressure over the West is under assault by a series of Pacific storms strewn across the Pacific between eastern Siberia and the Aleutian Islands. The ridge will hold firm through the weekend, with moisture trapped beneath it bringing some clouds Friday night. Clouds may also appear later Saturday as a splitting wave moves through it, depending on how much energy is partitioned into the northern part of the split and its eventual strength.
The 2015 record high temperature of 53 degrees on Friday, well above the freezing average, may be challenged, as well as the 51-degree records set in 2025 on Saturday, and 2015 on Sunday. Tonight will be the coolest night, around our 7-degree average, before the clouds on Friday and possibly Saturday night insulate the surface like a blanket, keeping low temperatures in the teens or twenties.
But what about our next storm? Weather forecast models through last night had agreed on a pattern change around Tuesday, due to a chunk of cold air from eastern Siberia moving across the Northern Pacific and merging with an atmospheric river associated with a storm south of the Aleutian Islands. As of this morning, they now forecast the Siberian wave merging with some cold air moving southward across Alaska, forcing the storm to move south off the West Coast rather than penetrating inland, delaying the arrival of cold air.
We may still see some snowfall around Tuesday and Wednesday as the atmospheric river crosses the West Coast late in the weekend, possibly joined by a wave ejected from the Aleutian storm, though southwesterly winds ahead of the original Siberian storm may or may not push that moisture and energy to our north.
There is too much uncertainty to predict snowfall chances for next week, especially considering this morning’s weather forecast model changes. So enjoy the warm and gorgeous weekend ahead, and I’ll have an update on the latest model gyrations in my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Sunday afternoon.
Pleasant workweek weather to be interrupted by high-elevation snow chances starting later Tuesday
Sunday, February 1, 2026
A lovely sunny day is over Steamboat Springs this Sunday at noon, with temperatures in the mid-thirties in town, on the way to the upper-forties, and mid-twenties at the top of the Steamboat Ski Resort. A couple of grazing waves will bring cooler, but still seasonably warm, temperatures through midweek, with clouds on Monday morning and some snow chances starting later Tuesday, lasting into Wednesday morning. Temperatures rebound by Thursday with a nice start to the 113th Steamboat Winter Carnival weekend.
A ridge of high pressure over the West, bringing the gorgeous day today, is sandwiched between a cold trough of low pressure over eastern North America and a series of storms gestating between the Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska. A couple of these storms are forecast to round the top of the ridge, the first bringing only cloudiness on Monday morning and the second, a chance for high-elevation snow showers from later Tuesday into Wednesday morning.
High temperatures today will reach the upper forties, well above our average of thirty-one degrees, before falling into the low forties on Monday due to modest cooling associated with the first grazing wave. The second on Tuesday will bring more clouds, limiting high temperatures to around forty degrees, along with the late-day and early-Wednesday snow showers. Any accumulations are likely to be meager unless the wave nudges further to the west, which is always a possibility with a source of cold air to our east.
Another day of high temperatures of around forty degrees on a clearing Wednesday will precede a warmup as the rebounding ridge of high pressure moves overhead. Mostly sunny skies with upper-forty-degree temperatures are forecast for Thursday, with even fifty degrees possible on a continued sunny Friday.
The nice weather will last into at least the start of the weekend, with weather forecast models disagreeing on how a storm from the Gulf of Alaska interacts with the ridge. There may be precipitation chances as early as the end of the weekend, or they may hold off until the following workweek.
So enjoy the nice week ahead, and I’ll have more details about the precipitation chances that may herald a desperately needed pattern change in my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Thursday afternoon.
