Snow showers taper off through Friday ahead of nice start to the weekend
Thursday, November 11, 2021
The Steamboat Springs area has finally seen some more wintry weather these last two days, with temperatures hovering around freezing in town late on this Thursday afternoon. Even though town did not see much snow, the Steamboat Powdercam at the top of Sunshine Peak is showing about 7 inches of snow accumulation so far, with some more coming tonight. Snow showers are forecast to taper off through Friday and may even hang on into Saturday morning at the higher elevations with dry and warmer weather forecast by Saturday afternoon. A cold front looks to graze our area on by Saturday night with precipitation likely staying just north and east of our area before warm and dry weather returns for the start of the following work week.
A ridge of high pressure over the West Coast is sandwiched between deep and cold areas of low pressure centered over the Gulf of Alaska and the upper Midwest. While the brunt of the current storm has passed, snow showers, some moderate, will continue through midnight or so in the favorable cold, moist and unstable flow from the northwest. Snow showers will taper off after midnight, though slowly, as they are forecast to continue through Friday and possible into Saturday morning at the higher elevations, with several more inches of snowfall possible.
Even though snow showers will hang on Friday at the higher elevations, temperatures will warm in town to around our average of 43 F as the West Coast ridge of high pressure is pushed over our area by energy ejecting out of the area of low pressure in the Gulf of Alaska. Skies clear and some sun returns by around noon on Saturday as temperatures warm into the fifties.
That energy ejecting from the Gulf is forecast to travel over the ridge and graze our area by late Saturday afternoon or night on its way eastward. Precipitation is currently forecast to stay to our north and east, so after a cool start to Sunday, temperatures return to the fifties by the afternoon.
Unfortunately for the projected opening of the Steamboat Ski Resort in a week from this Saturday, a ridge of high pressure is expected to move overhead for the beginning of the work week, with our next chance of colder weather and precipitation around midweek. I’ll certainly be talking about that in my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Sunday afternoon.
Unsettled weather returns after a gorgeous weekend
Sunday, November 7, 2021
Temperatures reached the mid-sixties by mid-afternoon on this Sunday, same as yesterday. The unseasonably warm weather with high temperatures almost twenty degrees above our average of 47 F looks to go away for the upcoming work week as the weather turns unsettled and snow returns to the weather forecast by midweek.
A ridge of high pressure is currently sitting over our region while a persistent area of low pressure extends from the Gulf of Alaska westward to the Bering Sea. A chunk of cold air has broken away from the North Pole and will be incorporated into the persistent low pressure area, eventually forming a storm in the Gulf of Alaska that is forecast to make landfall along the Vancouver coast early on Tuesday.
A wave of energy ejecting out of the developing storm will pass near our area on Monday, so expect increasing clouds with a small chance of rain showers in the afternoon and overnight, along with high temperatures in the fifties.
The parent storm is expected to split along the West Coast on Tuesday as it moves inland, with breezy winds developing ahead of the southern portion of the storm which is forecast to move through the Great Basin later Tuesday, Temperatures will be similar to Monday, though increasing clouds through the day will yield a better chance of showers by later in the afternoon.
Shower chances become likely overnight Tuesday and through Wednesday as the best part of the southern part of storm passes through our area. Snow levels will descend overnight, likely reaching the Yampa Valley floor by Wednesday morning. Snow showers should continue through the day, with moderate to sometimes heavy snowfall continuing at the higher elevations under the stronger storm cells, with difficult travel at times over Rabbit Ears Pass.
The cold temperatures associated with the southern part of the storm will arrive Thursday morning after the best moisture has left the area, but we could see 5-10” of snow at and above pass between Tuesday and Wednesday nights, with some snow possible down in town, most likely on non-paved surfaces.
While Thursday will start dry, the parent storm is forecast to graze our area as it moves into the Upper Midwest and strengthens, bringing another surge of cold air and moisture later Thursday into Friday. More snowfall is likely at all elevations before a ridge of high pressure moves overhead on Friday thanks to another developing storm over the Aleutian Islands.
Stay tuned to my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Thursday afternoon as I’ll take a guess at snowfall amounts for the last part of the storm on Thursday night, and discuss whether that ridge of high pressure sticks around for the weekend or gives way to more showery weather.
Gorgeous fall weekend coming up
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Temperatures are in the mid-fifties late this Thursday afternoon under brilliant blue skies. More of the same is expected through the weekend with an unsettled weather pattern currently forecast for the following work week.
A ridge of high pressure over the southern and central Rockies is currently extending northward into the central Canadian Plains and is flanked by a strong area of low pressure centered in the Gulf of Alaska and another centered over Hudson Bay which extends southward through the Great Lakes. A weak wave of energy currently moving across the Pacific Northwest will have little affect on our area on Friday as it passes to our north, other than some stronger breezes generally from the west.
The breezier conditions look to persist through the weekend under continued sunny skies and temperatures approaching and possibly exceeding sixty degrees, well above our average of 48 F, as the storm track stays north of our area.
Waves of energy and moisture are forecast to be ejected out of the Gulf of Alaska low pressure area even as it is constantly recharged by more incoming Pacific energy and cold air moving southward through the Bering Sea. Weather forecast models are disagreeing about the timing of these disturbances, though it looks like one will be close enough to our area near the beginning of the work week for the possibility of some light showers, followed by a stronger system for midweek.
Enjoy the gorgeous fall weekend, and I’ll have more about the unsettled weather pattern for the following work week in my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Sunday afternoon.
