Summit County Citizens Voice

A complex, spring-like weather pattern is developing across the West, with a potential for some steady acummulating snowfall beginning late in the weekend and lasting into the first part of next week.

Warm, showery weather, with a chance for decent snowfall starting Sunday night

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Scattered showers dropped just a few inches of snow in the area Wednesday night, with A-Basin and Loveland and Steamboat reporting 2 inches, and 1 inch at Breckenridge. After a short break Thursday morning, snow should start to pick up again in the afternoon as the next shortwave rolls into the area with a bit more moisture and some spring-like instability that should enhance convection and even lead to the chance for some heavy thunder snow showers.

Under this pattern, snow totals can be spotty, so the Colorado Avalanche Information Center is predicting a trace to 3 inches Thursday, with a lull Thursday night before a deepening area of low pressure moves over the Four Corners area by Friday afternoon which could fuel another round of showers, especially in the southwestern part of the state. Saturday, a weak ridge of high pressure moves in, still allowing mid and high level clouds to spread across most of the mountains, but supressing any significant snow.

Temperatures during the short-term period will be mild, with Thursday’s high in the low 40s, dropping down into the mid to upper- 30s Friday through Sunday, with lows ranging from the high single-digits to the mid-teens.

By Saturday afternoon, Pacific moisture deepens over the area, spreading from North to South as an Alaskan low pressure system moves inland, bringing a better chance for some steady snow, especially as a cold front associated with the system moves through the area. As the system moves east of the Continental Divide by Monday night, wrap-around moisture in a favorable northwest flow should bring continuing snowfall to the mountains into Tuesday evening.

All in all, the pattern late in the weekend and early next week could bring some significant accumulations to the area by Wednesday morning.

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Summit County snow and weather Tagged: | Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Colorado snow, Summit County News, Summit County snow and weather