The season's first major snow storm in Colorado is still on schedule to produce rain and snow for two to three days, with potentially significant snow accumulations above 9,000 feet in the southwestern, southeastern and central mountains.
A cut-off low will track southward into the Four Corners region pumping moisture northward into Colorado and drop temperatures over approximately 48 hours.
Another chance for more snow will be around October 27-31.
Recap:
Wednesday's temperatures were still warm enough to keep snow accumulations limited even with high-elevations snow showers lacing some Colorado peaks above 10,000 feet.
Snow showers were captured via Purgatory Mountain Resort's web camera Wednesday afternoon as a weak disturbance pushed through Colorado.
Further northwest, the high temperature in Telluride, Colorado was 55 according to AccuWeather.com.
Forecast:
Thursday will be a weather-transition day around Colorado's high country, with high-level clouds streaming into the state ahead of the main storm on Friday.
Highs on Thursday will be in the upper 30s and lower 40s in mountain valleys below 9,000 feet and near freezing above 9,500 feet on the peaks.
The National Weather Service in Grand Junction issued a winter storm warning on Thursday afternoon for large areas in southwestern Colorado, including Silverton, Telluride, and Lake City, 6 a.m., Friday to noon, Sunday.
Satellite imagery shows the cut-off low pressure storm pushing into the Great Basin on Thursday, where it will dip southward toward the Four Corners area into Friday and slowly work eastward through Sunday.
The ECMWF IFS high-resolution model forecast has snow beginning to fall Friday morning above 12,000 feet for the southwestern mountains. Temperatures don't appear to be cold enough for snow to fall in the western mountains around the Grand Mesa, but could reach the freezing mark around sunrise Saturday morning.
Because little to no snow has accumulated yet this season, the map above shows total snow depth not total snow fall.
Increased snow accumulations are now forecast for the central and southeastern mountains — including Monarch Pass, Lake and southern Summit counties, and west of Trinidad and Walsenberg, with the Sawatch and Sangre de Cristo mountains receiving between 10-20 inches and 4-14 inches respectively.
Forecasts from Monday hinted at snow totals approximately half that in the southeastern mountains.
Snow accumulations in the San Juan mountains remain between 1-2 feet with locally higher amounts close to 30 inches.
Long Range:
Monday through Thursday next week brings backs more fall-like weather, with high temperatures returning to the 40s and 50s and more drying.
Editor's note: Once a few ski areas and resorts open for the season, the Whiteout ski area conditions map will be updated semi-daily with information about conditions, open trails and 24-hour snow totals.
Today's 24 hour snow totals from Colorado resorts:
Arapahoe Basin - Closed for season
Aspen Highlands - Closed for season
Aspen Mountain - Closed for season
Beaver Creek - Closed for season
Breckenridge - Closed for season
Buttermilk - Closed for season
Cooper - Closed for season
Copper Mountain - Closed for season
Crested Butte - Closed for season
Echo Mountain - Closed for season
Eldora Mountain - Closed for season
Granby Ranch - Closed for season
Hesperus - Closed for season
Howelsen Hill - Closed for season
Kendall Mountain - Closed for season
Keystone - Closed for season
Loveland - Closed for season
Monarch - Closed for season
Powderhorn - Closed for season
Purgatory - Closed for season
Silverton - Closed for season
Snowmass - Closed for season
Steamboat - Closed for season
Sunlight - Closed for season
Telluride - Closed for season
Vail - Closed for season
Winter Park - Closed for season
Wolf Creek - Closed for season
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