Snow tonight and possibly Saturday
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Your snow dances are working! What looked like a dry Wednesday night into Thursday morning in Steamboat Springs has turned into a snowy forecast, as energy moving southward along the east side of a dominant West Coast ridge has trended further west these last few days. The end result is a couple of weak waves will move over our area tonight and early Thursday morning, leaving 2-4” for the Thursday morning report with another inch or two possible during the morning.
Sunny skies will return for later Thursday and Friday ahead of another possible storm weak storm on Saturday. Numerical weather models have uncharacteristically diverged with the Saturday forecast, with some bringing snow into northern Colorado Saturday morning while others keep us dry as they split the storm around our area.
Whether the Saturday storm splits and the amount of energy partitioned between the northern and southern parts of the storm has implications for the remainder of the weekend and early next week. Unsettled weather could stick around from Saturday through Monday with generally light snow, there could be a stronger storm for Sunday, or no storm at all. At this point, I have no preference for any solution, so please be diligent in whatever you are doing to conjure up the snow.
Surprisingly, the weather models agree that nice weather will return for around next midweek ahead of a potentially large storm that may herald a pattern change for the West. This is the result of some cold Canadian air mixing with a storm in the Gulf of Alaska and forcing the western ridge of high pressure westward. A cold and snowy Christmas weekend is looking increasingly likely, though I’d like to get past the uncertainty surrounding this weekend before biting off on that forecast.
I spend a lot of time skiing and mountain biking, depending on the season, and these are some of the products that have worked very well for me. Consider purchasing them through these links as I will earn a small commission that will help me keep SnowAlarm running. And feel free to contact me if you would like to see your product endorsed.
Cold toes? I’ve used the awesome Hotronic foot warmers from their beginnings, and can honestly say that each iteration of the product is better than the last. I have the S4 custom, attached to my powerstrap so they never fall off, and my toes stay warm for my entire ski day
To keep your toes even warmer, try some gloves for your boot! I’ve found these work best in powder, as it keeps the cold snow from touching the boot plastic and sucking heat away from the interior. However, they do cover the lowest two boot buckles, so this accessory is not for those who like to (or need to!) fiddle with the buckles during the day.
