Date: 02/08/2017

The snow and wind peaked early this morning, and we will see high pressure begin to push the back end of this storm out of the area by mid morning.  Light orographic snowfall may hang on across the highest terrain near Crested Butte, but by this afternoon, we will see clearing skies and temperatures plummet.  Thursday will be mostly sunny, before another large and prolonged storm (though even warmer than this storm with rain at lower elevations), looks dead set on the Elk Mountains starting Friday and lasting through much of the weekend. 

Date: 02/07/2017

Today will be an interesting day to watch play out as a very strong jet stream (140kt) just to our south inches farther north, creating windy conditions near and above treeline, and spurring heavier snowfall. Previous models suggested lower elevations to be fighting the snow/rain line down valley, but that does not look as likely anymore. However, expect heavier, dense snow falling especially near and below treeline. Tonight, snow and winds will peak, before tapering off Wednesday afternoon. Storm accumulations look on track with 1-2 feet possible by Wednesday afternoon. Thursday dry and sunny, before another storm takes aim for Friday and Saturday.

Date: 02/06/2017

Game On! Its coming back folks, we’ve got a large winter storm rolling in to start this week off right. This incoming storm look to keep this winter’s warm and wet trend going. We’ll see snow showers begin this morning with some discrepancy on today’s snow numbers between different models. The amount of lift and warm temperatures are leaving a bit of a spread in the forecasted numbers for today. Both winds aloft and moisture increase Monday night into Tuesday when the main event looks to take place. Winds will be from the west during this Monday night into Tuesday timeframe, favoring the western portion of the forecast area. Winds become northwesterly on Wednesday as snow showers taper and a ridge builds for a break in the weather heading into Thursday.

Date: 02/05/2017

Not too much excitement in today’s weather. Westerly flow will stream high clouds through the area creating partly cloudy sky. Ridgeline winds will be lower than yesterday with similar high temperatures. This afternoon we’ll see clouds begin increasing ahead of the next wave of moisture. Those building clouds will keep low temperatures from dropping much. Monday morning we’ll see snow showers develop, with rain possible below 8,000ft. This won’t be much problem for our area that is mostly at higher elevations. The western portion of our forecast area looks favored as we see snow showers through the mid-week. Winds will also be on the increase this week too, as a westerly jet stream sits overhead.

Date: 02/04/2017

A shortwave disturbance is bringing light snowfall to the Elk Mountains today. The best upper level divergence occurs this morning, when we should squeeze out another inch or few under moderate winds. We’ll see a lull on Sunday before the next system takes aim on Monday and Tuesday. This one brings a cold front and better snowfall accumulations.

Date: 02/03/2017

Today will be unseasonably warm, with temperatures rocketing into the mid to upper 30s at 11,000ft. West winds will build and shift to the southwest throughout the day with gusts this afternoon into the 40-50mph range as our minor weather maker Friday evening and into Saturday slides closer, and brushes to our north. Saturday will see light snow with accumulations 2-4” and higher amounts possible the farther north you travel. Active weather returns next week, so stay tuned.

Today we will see increased cloud cover and a chance of very light snow across our higher terrain early to mid afternoon. Look for steady, strong west winds to continue near and above treeline and cooling temperatures with this passing shortwave. Friday looks dry but overcast, with another slightly stronger pulse of moisture Saturday. Accumulations with this weekend storm look better, but looking like only 4-6” with this one at the moment.

Date: 02/01/2017

We will see impressive morning inversions breaking once again (27º in CB, -2 at GUC) with clear skies and lighter west winds than we saw yesterday at higher elevations. The ridge of high pressure over the western United States begins to erode tomorrow, ushering in high clouds, increased winds, and even a chance of a flurry at higher terrain. More measurable snow does not look to fall until late Friday night, but series of three storms line up for this weekend into early next week.

Date: 01/31/2017

Mountain temperatures are in the 20’s this morning above sub-zero valley inversions. The ridge of high pressure flattens briefly today as the storm track and jet stream dip closer to Colorado. For us, that will bump up cloud cover and wind speeds, but it won’t deliver any of the white, fluffy stuff. The ridge rebuilds on Wednesday. A small storm is on the horizon for this weekend.

Date: 01/30/2017

A dominant high-pressure ridge over the western US will continue to keep us in dry weather this week. Northwesterly winds will become more westerly as the jet stream both flattens out and drops south. We’ll see winds pick up a few times this week when that jet stream sags over Colorado. A few shortwaves moving through the flow may bring us a change in the weather at the end of the week, but these mostly look north of our area. This morning we have cold valley inversions again with 11,000ft temperatures in the upper teens to low twenties. Those valley temperatures will rebound nicely again later today.