Date: 03/05/2018

Yesterday morning, it sure was hard to believe we had a storm coming, but the low end of Ian’s forecast held up. With strong winds and 2-6” of new snow across the forecast area this morning. You best get out there and make the most of it because we are moving into a high and dry week. Winds will ease a bit today, while temperatures will stay cold with mostly cloudy sky. High pressure will start pushing into the area on Tuesday as the sky clears and temperatures begin to rebound.

• Today

  High Temperature: 15
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20 G35, West Northwest
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 2
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 1
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 t 1

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 0
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20, West Northwest
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 25
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, Northwest
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 03/04/2018

It will be hard to believe looking out your window this morning that snow will fall midday.  A sharp cold front slowed yesterday over Utah, and today will ride a strong jet stream aloft into Colorado.  Model runs of this storm over the last few days have begun to shy off precipitation as the Wasatch wrings this stalled system dry. The exact timing of this cold front is somewhat uncertain, but will be obvious when it passes midday to early afternoon.  Strong winds and intense snowfall will signal the front (maybe even some thundersnow?), and cold air will rush in behind the front.  Daytime highs may be reached this morning, before the cold front, with temperatures set to drop to the single digits tonight. Cold, northwest flow will linger through the night and minor orographics for Kebler and Schofield Passes cannot be ruled out.  Looking ahead, we have a dry and warm week on tap, with potentially another weak storm toward next weekend.

• Today

  High Temperature: 33
  Winds/Direction: 20-30 G50/SW
  Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
  Irwin Snow: 3-6″
  Elkton Snow: 3-6″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 2-4″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 5
  Winds/Direction: 15-25/WNW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0-2″
  Elkton Snow: 0-2″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0-1″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 15
  Winds/Direction: 10-20/WNW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 03/03/2018

Another very warm and windy day on tap ahead of drastic changes for tomorrow. A classic spring-like cold front is churning across the Great Basin today and looks to arrive on our doorstep tomorrow around 10am. This cold front will bring strong winds, intense snowfall rates and maybe some of that dreaded desert dust. Snowfall will continue throughout much the day, and cold northwest orographics may over produce in the Kebler and Schofield Pass areas. Total accumulations look to be 6-8” with higher amounts possible.

• Today

  High Temperature: 38
  Winds/Direction: 15-25/SW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 15
  Winds/Direction: 10-20/SSW
  Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 25
  Winds/Direction: 10-20G50/WNW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 6-8″
  Elkton Snow: 6-8″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 3-6″

Date: 03/02/2018

In like a lamb is what they say, and aside from increasing southwesterly winds, it will feel spring-like across the Elk Mountains with temperatures up to 10 degrees above normal. An organized low pressure system continues to sit over the west coast for another day, before ejecting out over the Great Basin and giving us our next snowfall Sunday. This storm and its associated cold front will roll through Sunday morning, potentially dropping 5-10” snow across higher terrain, with snow in the valleys as well.

• Today

  High Temperature: 38
  Winds/Direction: 10-20/SW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 21
  Winds/Direction: 10-20/SW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 38
  Winds/Direction: 15-25/SW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 03/01/2018

The western US sits under a broad ridge of high pressure at the moment. A large trough is stalled on the Oregon Coast, spinning light moisture, observable as high thin clouds, towards us today. Then tomorrow that moisture tap dries up we’ll see our first truly spring-like day of March.
That trough will remain parked on the coast through Saturday, pounding the Sierra with snow, before ejecting eastward across the continent to bring us a quick shot of snow on Sunday followed by cooler dry air early next week.

• Today

  High Temperature: 28
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20, Southwest
  Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 10
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20, Southwest
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 35
  Winds/Direction: 15 to 25, South-Southwest
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 02/28/2018

A moisture-starved closed low-pressure system is tracking through southern Arizona right now. Given the placement of this spinning top of a system and the lack of moisture, any hopes for significant snows today can now be erased. We’ll see clouds all day, a chance for a few snowflakes in the AM, and a steady shot of westerly wind after lunch. That’s it for this “storm.”
Tomorrow temperatures rebound to near freezing and we’ll get covered by a band of high clouds reaching out in front of a large Alaskan low dropping down into the western US. We expect this system to bring some snow to Crested Butte on Sunday.

• Today

  High Temperature: 20
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, gusting to 25 out of the West in the PM
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to t”
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 1″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 1″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 5
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15 West Northwest
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 32
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, Southwest
  Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 02/27/2018

We’ve got a nice, relatively warm day on tap for today. A closed low pressure system spinning over California keeps us under a southwest flow, but the winds today should be lighter than yesterday, and the temperatures several degrees warmer.
Tonight that closed low ejects off the coast and begins to track across the western US, though it looks like it will track too far south to bring significant snow to our area. Set your expectations for cloudy skies and a dusting tomorrow.

• Today

  High Temperature: 28
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, Southwest
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 10
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 10, Southwest
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: trace
  Elkton Snow: trace
  Friend’s Hut Snow: trace

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 20
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20, Northwest
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 2″
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 1″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 1″

Date: 02/26/2018

Remember that big ball of fire in the sky? It’s been hiding backstage for a bit, but it’s looking to make a comeback performance today and into Tuesday. Look for that sun to show up on stage at about 6:45am and start whats looking like a beautiful couple days. Upper-level flow is currently westerly and will be becoming southwesterly throughout the day as a low-pressure trough deepens along the West Coast. This will allow warmer air to move into the area and bring high temperatures closer to what we’re used to for this time of year. The low-pressure system will eventually start moving east and push moisture into the area on Wednesday morning and start off our next round of snow showers.

• Today

  High Temperature: 28
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20, Southwest
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 8
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, South
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 28
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, Southwest
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 02/25/2018

A small disturbance is passing early morning with snow falling in the Kebler Pass and Paradise Divide areas at the moment. Overnight snow accumulations should only add up to about 4 inches with a couple of inches in the Crested Butte area and further east. These light snow showers could continue during the first half of the day, but we are progressing into a drying and warming trend as we look at the start of the week. High temperatures will increase slightly today before rebounding a bit better on Monday and Tuesday as a low-pressure trough pulls warmer air in on southwest flow. That same low-pressure system will bring a return to winter weather and more powder in the forecast around mid-week.

• Today

  High Temperature: 15
  Winds/Direction: 15 to 25, West
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0-2
  Elkton Snow: 0-2
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0-2

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 0
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, Southwest
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 25
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20, Southwest
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 02/24/2018

Overnight, portions of our forecast area around Kebler Pass received 2-6″ of new snow, and increased southwest winds with gusts into the 40s. Temperatures have plummeted since sunrise, with most locations sitting in the single digits or below zero above treeline.
Light snow showers will gradually taper this morning, with partial clearing before yet another ripple of moisture arrives later this afternoon and evening. Kebler and Schofield Passes may hang on to residual orographic snow showers throughout the day as west-northwest winds continue. Snow will become more widespread by sunset, and could see another 2-4″ by tomorrow afternoon. The conga line of moisture and weak disturbances continues into next week with another more potent storm shaping up for Wednesday/Thursday. Temperatures will remain unseasonably cold for late February, with slowly moderating temperatures each day. Winter!

• Today

  High Temperature: 10
  Winds/Direction: 15-25/WNW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0-2″
  Elkton Snow: 0-2″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0-1″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: -2
  Winds/Direction: 10-20/WSW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 1-3″
  Elkton Snow: 1-3″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0-2″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 15
  Winds/Direction: 10-20/W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0-2″
  Elkton Snow: 0-2″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0-2″