Small storm Tuesday followed by larger storm Wednesday

Sunday, December 9, 2018

A cool front that passed through the Steamboat Springs area early this Sunday morning has kept snow showers going, but we should see the sun make an appearance by this afternoon, especially in the Yampa Valley as dry air overspreads northern Colorado. Additional storms are lined up for Tuesday and again Wednesday into Thursday morning as Pacific moisture and energy from the Gulf of Alaska move over the west.

While the moisture will be slow to erode today, Monday should be a gorgeous day with plenty of sunshine and temperatures above our 29 F average high and 7 F average low.

Snow showers should get going again on Tuesday in advance of a weak wave that crosses the West Coast on Monday. The wave will split to some degree, though weather forecast models still disagree on the details. We could see 1-4” of snow at mid-mountain if the wave splits more, or 3-6” if the wave splits less, by the Wednesday morning report, with most of the snow falling before midnight.

Only a small break between storms is advertised as the next colder, stronger and more consolidated storm begins another round of snow showers for our area as early as Wednesday morning. Winds will increase from our favorable northwest direction, with a burst of moderate to heavy snowfall when the cold front passes around Wednesday afternoon, and continued light to moderate snowfall in the cold, moist and unstable northwest flow overnight. The storm looks quite promising but will be quick moving; I currently expect 5-10” of snow at mid-mountain by the Thursday morning report.

Any snow showers still around on a chilly Thursday morning should end by noon, followed by periods of sun, especially in the Yampa Valley, behind the departing storm.

Another break in the weather occurs around Friday, though it is not clear how long this lasts as weather forecast models disagree on the strength of another Pacific wave timed for around the weekend. The European ECMWF has trended towards a stronger storm moving over our area while the American GFS has a much weaker storm grazing our area.

Save your soles this holiday season! You suspect that the grating and grinding sounds you hear from your ski boots as you walk across hard surfaces can’t be good. In fact, worn boot soles make your binding unsafe as it interferes with the boot-binding interface. Cat Tracks are a flexible protector that keeps your boot soles pristine, and adds a cushion for walking comfort. When it’s time to click into bindings, I take them off and stash them in my coat pocket. Yaktrax are similar, but I have not used them since they appear they would take up a bit more space in my jacket pocket. But you get a rocker sole that promotes a natural stride which may be worth the space sacrifice. If I did not have to carry them around all day, these would be my choice.

• Posted at 10:01:38 AM in Steamboat forecast discussion
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