Some snow possible Tuesday and Wednesday
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Currently this Sunday morning, a ridge of high pressure over the Intermountain West has brought dry conditions to the Steamboat Springs area, along with sunny warm days and cool nights. Incoming Pacific energy will bring a chance for light snow showers on Tuesday and a better chance Wednesday before the western ridge of high pressure rebuilds for the end of the work week.
Our first chance of some snow will occur overnight Monday into Tuesday as a storm currently bringing precipitation to the Pacific Northwest splits as it crosses the Great Basin on Monday. The storm is now forecast to split a bit less than in my last Thursday’s weather narrative, giving us a better chance of some light snow showers for Monday night and Tuesday.
There may be a small break later Tuesday, after accumulations of only as much as an inch or two, before another round of incoming Pacific moisture and energy rides over the top of a building ridge of high pressure over the West Coast. Initially, this storm looked to be shunted to our northeast, but now it looks like we should see a period of accumulating snows on Wednesday as the favorable cool and moist northwest flow is lifted over the Park Mountain Range and the Steamboat Ski Area. Snows should taper off Wednesday night, leaving 2-5” on the Thursday morning mid-mountain ski report.
That ridge of high pressure over the West Coast will move eastward over our area for Thursday and Friday as a weak storm approaches the West Coast. After a chilly start to Thursday morning, temperatures should warm, especially at the higher elevations, to close out the work week.
The weak storm is forecast to move along the Canadian border, passing mostly north of our area later Friday into Saturday, though it may be close enough to graze northern Colorado and produce some cooling and possibly snow showers.
Weather forecast models agree on a stormier pattern re-emerging around the end of next weekend and headed into Christmas week, though there is disagreement on the timing and strength of several waves of Pacific energy that will bring good snow chances to our area.
I absolutely love this super-warm split-finger mitten-glove! I’m on my second season with these and am very impressed with their durability and warmth, especially when combined with the standard HotHands handwamers. Three fingers sit together with the index finger separated, but there is enough room to scrunch all your fingers together while on the lift, which is especially nice if you have a handwarmer in the mitten-part of the glove.
