Another storm cycle to start midweek after a short break

Sunday, February 4, 2024

Temperatures at our average of freezing and mostly sunny skies are over Steamboat Springs this Sunday mid afternoon behind the storm that left a two day snowfall total of 21” at mid mountain and 27” up top at the Steamboat Ski Resort. A sunny start to the work week will be followed by another long duration storm cycle that starts by midweek and continues into the weekend.

A large storm currently just off the coast of northern California that extends back southwestward toward Hawaii has incorporated an atmospheric river nicknamed the Pineapple Express, similar to our last storm, that will again bring heavy precipitation to portions of California today and Monday.

A ridge of high pressure has formed ahead of the storm over the Desert Southwest and Great Basin and will be responsible for the clear skies tonight and on Monday. Combined with the fresh snow cover and light winds, low temperatures should fall to around zero degrees in the Yampa Valley, which is around five degrees below our average of 6 F. Expect upper thirties to close to forty degrees on Monday under continued mostly sunny skies.

Meanwhile, the California storm is forecast to elongate to the southwest on Monday before moving east across Nevada and Arizona on Tuesday thanks to a cool storm moving across the Aleutian Islands that will eventually affect our area by Thursday.

Warm and moist air carried northward ahead of the California storm will raise the high temperatures for Tuesday into the low forties while also introducing clouds back into the weather forecast. This storm is then forecast to move northeastward through Colorado on Wednesday and to our northeast by Thursday.

There is a chance that showers could start as soon as Tuesday night or hold off until early Wednesday. This storm will be similar to the last one and start warm. But as the storm moves across Colorado during the day and intensifies to our northeast, winds will turn to be from our favorable northwest by Wednesday afternoon while temperatures cool thanks to the approaching Aleutian storm. Moderate to sometimes heavy snows should occur from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday, with the snowfall becoming fluffier before it tapers off early Friday.

We could see as much as 6-12” of snow at mid mountain by the Thursday morning report with continuing snows during the day and overnight possibly leading to a similar amount by Friday morning. We may see snowfall on Friday briefly stop, or not, as another cool Aleutian storm approaches our area for the weekend festivities of the 111th edition of the Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival.

So enjoy the break in winter weather before the snows restart on Wednesday, and be sure to check back to my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Thursday afternoon to see an updated snowfall forecast for Friday and how much snow we may expect for the weekend.

Snow this weekend to chase springlike weather away

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Temperatures are approaching freezing under mostly sunny skies late this Thursday morning in Steamboat Springs. Clouds from the southwest will increase through the day and mark the approach of a long duration, warm and wet winter storm which should begin accumulating snowfall by later Friday. One to two feet of snow could fall at mid mountain at the Steamboat Ski Resort between Friday and Sunday afternoons, with five to ten inches expected in town.

A ridge of high pressure currently centered over the middle of the U.S. is flanked by a storm moving across the Great Lakes and a deep trough of low pressure extending from Alaska toward the Baja Peninsula. The southern end of the trough has been reinforced by a warm wave of energy and moisture drawn from around Hawaii in an atmospheric river nicknamed the Pineapple Express, and is forecast to move through the Great Basin and Desert Southwest on Friday.

By early Saturday, the storm looks to form an eddy that moves across southern Colorado before intensifying later in the day as winds from the southeast ahead of the storm snag additional moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, some cool air and moisture are forecast to break away from the northern portion of the Gulf of Alaska trough of low pressure early Saturday and move overhead around Saturday night.

Several moving pieces add uncertainty to the snowfall forecast, though generally we will see increasing clouds through the day today as the southern storm approaches. We will see warmer overnight low temperatures in the twenties in town, well above our average of 6 F, with the high temperatures today and Friday staying around five to ten degrees above our average of 31 F.

There are chances for some snow showers on the hill during most of Friday leaving minimal accumulations, though right now the substantial snows aren’t expected to get going until late in the afternoon or early evening. Snowfall rates as high as two inches per hour at times in the several hours before and after midnight will make travel difficult over Rabbit Ears Pass as the storm intensifies, with rates then decreasing to a still impressive one half to one inch per hour and persisting through Saturday night.

Temperatures are only expected to fall into the low twenties near the top of the Steamboat Ski Resort on Saturday and Sunday, with low thirties in town. Winds won’t be too bad thanks to the absence of a strong jet stream, with Saturday afternoon the windiest period with mountain top winds around 15 mph gusting to twice that.

Snowfall guesses are 6-12” for the Saturday morning mid mountain report, with an additional 4-8” falling during the day. There is uncertainty concerning how much of that northern Gulf of Alaska storm breaks away and moves overhead by later Saturday, but right now we could pick up an additional 3-6” of fluffier snow overnight for a 7-14” Sunday morning report thanks to additional cool air and winds from our favorable northwest direction.

Snowfall should taper off during the day Sunday, and if there is some clearing later overnight on Sunday, low temperatures could fall to around ten degrees in town on Monday morning. After a couple of precipitation free days to start the work week, another significant storm is currently advertised for midweek.

So enjoy our last springlike day today, and the powder days this weekend, and be sure to check back to my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Sunday afternoon for details about the next winter storm just in time for the 111th edition of the Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival.

Springlike break in the winter weather

Sunday, January 28, 2024

The Sunday morning clouds have dissipated late this afternoon in Steamboat Springs allowing the temperature to reach 39 F under sunny skies. After another cloudy morning on Monday, expect lots of sun and temperatures warming into the forties through midweek for a taste of spring. Unsettled weather may be back in the forecast starting at the end of the work week depending on the track of an incoming warm Pacific storm.

A ridge of high pressure currently over the West is sandwiched between a vortex of cold air centered over Hudson Bay and a broad trough of low pressure centered over the Aleutian Islands that extends southward toward Hawaii.

Some energy traveling over the top of the ridge of high pressure and down its eastern side will graze our area tonight, bringing clouds and perhaps a few snowflakes to the Steamboat Ski Resort. But like today, the sun should appear by Monday afternoon and allow high temperatures to end up a few degrees warmer than today.

Mostly clear skies should bring high temperatures in the mid foties by midweek, around fifteen degrees above our average of 31 F, while the clear overnight skies will allow the low temperatures to drop to the mid teens, about ten degrees above our average of 6 F.

A storm is forecast to develop on the southern end of that Aleutian low pressure area early in the work week. Not only will this storm draw moisture from around Hawaii in an atmospheric river nicknamed the Pineapple Express, but the incoming storm will shift the ridge of high pressure toward the Northern Plains where the Hudson Bay vortex of cold air will halt its eastward progress.

Typical of an El-NiƱo weather pattern. the wet and warm Pacific storm is forecast to first bring likely heavy precipitation to the West Coast before eventually moving eastward underneath that ridge of high pressure by the end of the work week.

Weather forecast models disagree on how far south the storm will eventually move and how severely the storm splits as it it crosses the West Coast, with the American GFS bringing the storm further south across the Desert Southwest compared to the more northward biased European ECMWF.

Unfortunately for our area, if the storm ends up too far south, then it’s possible we won’t see any precipitation. However, the more northern solution from the ECMWF currently has significant precipitation starting around the end of the work week and continuing into next weekend.

So enjoy the gorgeous several days of coming springlike weather, and be sure to check back to my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Thursday afternoon for more details on the incoming storm.

Friday snow chances fizzling

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Temperatures are in the low thirties under mostly cloudy skies this Thursday noon in Steamboat Springs. Snowfall chances for Friday have considerably diminished as an approaching storm looks to stay mostly south of our area, but some sun on Saturday and warming temperatures for Sunday and most of the next work week are still in the weather forecast.

A broad trough of low pressure currently extends from the West Coast across the Mississippi River Valley. A weak storm in Nevada will be guided mostly south of our area as it moves through the low pressure area, with showers possible from this afternoon through Friday. Accumulations will be hard to come by, with a only modest chance of up to several inches of snow occurring at mid mountain by later Friday at the Steamboat Ski Resort.

The storm will move through New Mexico early on Friday and Texas later in the day, and will eventually be responsible for the rain likely around Baltimore on Sunday for the AFC Championship Game. But after some cool air behind the storm briefly visits our area Saturday morning, a ridge of high pressure moves over the West that will be with us for most of the rest of the work week.

Some sun will be around for Saturday, but moisture moving through the ridge of high pressure will bring the clouds back for most of Sunday, with high temperatures in town rising from the low thirties to start the weekend, just above our average of 30 F, to the upper thirties to end the weekend.

Warming temperatures around the forty degree mark are forecast to start the work week with increasing sunshine, and we could see low forties by midweek. Enjoy the break in the winter weather as longer range weather forecast models have a cooler and wetter pattern advertised starting by next weekend, and I’ll be back Sunday afternoon with my next regularly scheduled weather narrative to update that possibility.

Mild and unsettled weather to continue through the work week

Sunday, January 21, 2024

Temperatures are right around freezing this Sunday mid afternoon with occasional snow flurries. The clouds and mild temperatures will be with us through the work week thanks to a series of relatively warm and disorganized Pacific weather systems. While we may see flurries through this period, we should see some meager accumulations for the Monday, possibly Thursday, and Friday morning ski reports.

A mild Pacific jet stream extending from the Dateline across the West has displaced the arctic air mass that was over our area last week. Pieces of a storm currently over the Aleutian Islands will combine with the Pacific jet stream to bring several disorganized waves of energy and moisture over the West through the work week. While we may see flurries throughout the entire period, the best chance for some accumulating snowfall on the mid mountain ski report at the Steamboat Ski Resort will be Monday, possibly Thursday, and Friday mornings.

The first wave moving overhead now and a second one currently moving through southern Utah should keep very light snows over the mountain through Monday morning, leaving 1-4” for the morning mid mountain ski report.

Though there may be an occasional flurry, mostly dry weather under cloudy skies is likely for Tuesday and Wednesday. A third wave looks to take a more southern route through the Desert Southwest on Wednesday, with some trailing energy later Wednesday bringing weak winds from our favorable northwest direction, which may be enough to leave an inch or two for the Thursday morning report.

A fourth wave is then forecast to move more directly through our area between Thursday and Friday afternoons and will likely produce the best accumulations of the week, perhaps in the 3-6” range. But that is currently a tenuous forecast, and I hope to have more certainty by my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Thursday afternoon.

And for those looking for a prolonged period of sunny weather, a ridge of high pressure is currently advertised to build over the West and bring those mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures starting around next weekend and continuing through the end of the month.

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24 March 2018

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