Passing waves timed for Saturday, Monday and Tuesday
Thursday, December 3, 2015
The current warm and sunny conditions will last through tomorrow for the Steamboat Springs area before a quick-moving and moisture-starved storm crosses Colorado on Saturday. I expect only light snow during the day Saturday as the storm brings cooler temperatures, with a storm total of only an inch or two to be reported Sunday morning.
A weaker and drier wave moves across the area on Monday with no precipitation expected, though we have a better chance for light snow on Tuesday as another wave moves over the area.
The active Pacific jet stream continues as a series of waves are forecast to affect the area starting as soon as Thursday. Only light snow showers are forecast with the leading wave around Thursday, but a much colder and wetter wave is timed for the weekend.
There is model uncertainty on what happens behind this weekend storm, with the American GFS moving several waves of likely significant snow through the area until about Tuesday, while the European ECMWF keeps the storm more coherent. While the details are subject to change, confidence in a pattern change to colder and snowier weather around next weekend is increasing.
