Winter weather to return early Friday morning
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Temperatures have retreated from near fifty degrees this Thursday mid-afternoon in Steamboat Springs thanks to invading clouds ahead of a winter storm to start early Friday morning. Significant snowfall and difficult travel over Rabbit Ears Pass will moderate by Friday afternoon, though cold temperatures and snow showers will persist through Sunday morning. A break in the weather will last through Monday before a similar storm is forecast for Tuesday.
A strong storm that is pummeling the West Coast and brought over two feet of snow to some of the California ski resorts is quickly moving through the Great Basin. Clouds have increased in the southwest winds ahead of the storm, with some showers producing little accumulation possible tonight before the cold front arrives early Friday morning, likely just after the morning ski report.
Don’t be fooled by the slow start to the storm overnight as plummeting temperatures and moderate to heavy snow showers are expected through noon, bringing 6-12” of snow at mid-mountain and lighter showers in the afternoon. High temperatures in town are only expected to reach around thirty degrees, fifteen degrees below our average of 45 F, with mountain-top temperatures starting the morning in the low-teens and high temperatures only reaching the upper teens.
The front will also bring windy conditions, with westerly mountain-top winds increasing through the morning before reaching average speeds of almost 30 mph by the early afternoon, and gusts nearing twice that. Snowfall rates between one and two inches per hour and gusty winds will likely create difficult travel over Rabbit Ears Pass from sunrise through noon on Friday.
Though the heaviest snowfall will be over by early Friday afternoon, some light snow showers should continue through the rest of the day with another 1-4” possible by Saturday morning There may be a break Friday night into Saturday morning, but a trailing wave passing to our south should keep the cold temperatures around and restart snow showers from Saturday afternoon through the night in our favorable moist, cold and unstable northwest flow, with 2-5” possible by the Sunday morning report.
The weather should improve on Sunday with some sun possible by the afternoon, especially in town, as temperatures there warm toward forty degrees on Sunday and fifty degrees on a sunnier Monday. But that break will be short-lived as a similar winter storm approaches our area for Tuesday.
So enjoy the return of winter after this gorgeous springlike week, and hope there is enough snow on Friday to adequately cover what will be a frozen surface in most places. Be sure to check back Sunday afternoon for my next regularly scheduled weather narrative with more details on our next winter storm.
Warm and mostly sunny to start the workweek
Sunday, March 9, 2025
Bluebird skies and temperatures rising toward freezing are over Steamboat Springs late this Sunday morning. The dry and pleasant weather will extend through most of the workweek as temperatures rise toward fifty degrees with mostly sunny skies on Monday and some clouds on Tuesday and Wednesday. A still-warm but cloudy Thursday will precede a strong winter storm for Friday.
A cool but sunny day on Saturday followed 13” of snow at mid-mountain and 21” up top that fell between last Monday and Friday nights. A ridge of high pressure over the West will bring mostly sunny skies today and Monday with temperatures rising to the mid-forties today and toward fifty degrees on Monday, above our average of 43 F.
The northern part of a splitting storm off the West Coast will move across the Canadian border, bringing some clouds on Tuesday as the southern part briefly forms an eddy that crosses the southern California coast on Tuesday. The eddy weakens and quickly moves across Arizona and New Mexico on Wednesday, bringing some clouds to our area during the day.
Meanwhile, a strong winter storm forming over the Gulf of Alaska on Tuesday is forecast to cross the West Coast on Wednesday. The storm will be cold due to its formation over the northern latitudes and wet thanks to the remnants of an atmospheric river from Indonesia.
Moisture ahead of the storm will bring a cloudy but still-warm Thursday ahead of likely significant snowfall starting later Thursday or Friday, with much colder temperatures over ten degrees below average. Longer-term weather forecast models have this colder and wetter weather persisting through the weekend and much of the following workweek as we head toward the vernal equinox at 3:01 am on Thursday, March 20th.
So soak up the springlike weather to start the workweek, and I’ll have more details on the impending winter storm for the end of the workweek in my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Thursday afternoon.
Beautiful weekend to follow Friday’s storm
Thursday, March 6, 2025
Temperatures are in the low forties in Steamboat Springs and low twenties near the top of the Steamboat Ski Resort this Thursday mid-afternoon. After four inches of snow at mid-mountain and six inches at the summit were reported this morning, the final piece of the storm brings a cold front tonight and another round of snow that will end Friday night in time for a nice weekend.
A winter storm is over Nevada and Utah, and some ejecting energy ahead of the storm last night brought the better-than-expected snowfall this morning. The storm has split, with another lobe of energy moving overhead tonight while the parent storm sinks into Arizona on Friday. Snow showers should redevelop this evening and become moderate at times overnight as cool air is dragged overhead behind the passing lobe of energy. By the Friday morning report, we could see 2-5” of snow at mid-mountain with mountain-top temperatures falling toward ten degrees, and another 2-5” of fluffier powder falling through noon in the moist and unstable winds from the west.
Meanwhile, a strengthening ridge of high pressure ahead of a storm developing over the Gulf of Alaska this weekend will move over the West, bringing mostly sunny skies and temperatures in town warming from around freezing on Friday, about ten degrees below our average of 42 F, to the mid-thirties on Saturday and the mid-forties on Sunday. With some clear skies, light winds and fresh snow cover, low temperatues will fall into the single digits for both weekend days, below our average of 15 F.
The nice weather will persist into the beginning of the workweek as that Gulf of Alaska storm is forecast to form an eddy that crosses Baja around Tuesday. The eddy may or may not stay south of our area by midweek, and could be followed by a storm that may bring accumulating snow to our area by the end of the workweek.
So let’s hope for some lighter and fluffier powder for Friday, enjoy the beautiful weekend, and check back to my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Sunday afternoon for more details on that Baja eddy.
Two winter storms to start and end the workweek
Sunday, March 2, 2025
Bluebird skies and temperatures in the mid-thirties at all elevations are over Steamboat Springs late this Sunday morning. Enjoy the last full day of springlike weather that started last week ahead of increasing clouds by Monday afternoon, heralding the arrival of the first of two winter storms that will bring significant snows to start and end the workweek.
An eddy of low pressure approaching the Texas Panhandle has stayed south of our area, keeping our stretch of sunny days uninterrupted for today. But that changes on Monday as a splitting storm along the West Coast moves inland. Most of the storm energy will be in the southern part of the split, forming an eddy that moves across the Great Basin early Monday and Colorado Monday night.
After a mostly sunny start to Monday, clouds will overspread the area around noon ahead of a cold front in the afternoon, bringing moderate to heavy snow showers that will last through midnight. Snowfall rates around an inch an hour or more at times may lead to difficult travel over Rabbit Ears Pass.
Snowfall rates will decrease for a time by Tuesday morning ahead of a secondary cold front associated with the northern part of the split dragging cool air from western Canada down the Rockies. We could see 5-10” of snow reported at mid-mountain at the Steamboat Ski Resort by Tuesday morning before snow showers restart by the afternoon in our favorable cool, moist and unstable northwest flow behind the storm.
We could see another 3-6” fall between Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, with snow showers grudgingly ending by noon. A short break in the weather will last into Thursday before the next and perhaps more significant storm brings another round of accumulating snowfall from Thursday afternoon into Saturday morning.
While we may see a brief return of springlike weather after these two storms, enjoy today’s gorgeous warm weather and the winter weather to start the workweek, and check back to my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Thursday afternoon for more details on the second winter storm.
Spring Fever to arrive today and last through the weekend
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Bluebird skies and temperatures in the mid-twenties at all elevations are over the Steamboat Springs area this Thursday at noon. Gorgeous springlike weather with clear skies and warming temperatures are forecast through Saturday, with the warm temperatures remaining on Sunday even if we see some clouds from a passing storm to our south. Cooler and wetter weather returns for the start of the following workweek.
Our first case of Spring Fever arrives in full force today after a disappointingly unproductive couple of weather disturbances passed through our area on Tuesday and Wednesday. A ridge of high pressure has now built over the West bringing three days of sunny skies, with high temperatures rising from around forty degrees today, mid-forties on Friday and around fifty degrees on Saturday, well above our average of forty degrees. The high temperature records are 52 F on Friday, set in 1940, 53 F on Saturday, set in 1983 and 56 F on Sunday, set in 1992, and our best chance of challenging a record will be on Saturday, the first day of meteorological spring.
Meanwhile, an area of low pressure off the West Coast has just split, with the southern part of the split forming an eddy that will be pushed eastward by a powerful storm developing south of the Aleutian Islands. The weather forecast models have struggled with the track of the eddy after it begins traveling through the Desert Southwest on Saturday, with the eddy predicted to be between central New Mexico and southern Colorado by Sunday. We may see some clouds Sunday, which may lower high temperatures by several degrees, but precipitation for our area is unlikely.
At the same time, the Aleutian storm is forecast to cross the California coast on Sunday, with a complex evolution that brings the first part of the storm through our area late Monday or early Tuesday. A second wave is forecast to follow later Tuesday, with our area seeing good chances for significant accumulations through midweek.
Enjoy what promises to be a gorgeous springlike weekend, and I’ll have more details about the impending pattern change in my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Sunday afternoon.
