Springtime in the Rockies

Well folks, hope you enjoyed a beautiful Mother's Day today as our summer sneak-peak appears to be short-lived. Some pretty wild forecasts are getting thrown around for an approaching storm system due in midweek. Many foothill locations (Castle Rock, Genesee, Evergreen) have already been placed under a winter storm watch where upwards of 18 inches of snow is expected. For Denver, the forecast remains very uncertain. We can all hope that temperatures will stay warm enough Tuesday night keep us as all rain, but the potential exists for rain to turn to snow and for the city to see a wet whopping of snow.

There are about seven months a year that I would be SUPER pumped right about now. May is not one of them. In the last week trees have leafed like "woah" --- and the potential for a heavy, wet snow means we should brace for quite some damage. With that, break out the shovels and the brooms... and hope for rain!

Another Storm?

We might have to wait a few more days for Spring as yet another storm is waiting in the wings. With many areas logging a whopping 30 inches of snow in the last week alone, this coming storm may only add to that, and in a big way. At this point Denver is not in the winter storm watch that has been posted for most of eastern Colorado, including Castle Rock and the southern foothills... but this may change if some agreement can be made between the models. With the forecast as is, Denver will likely miss out on the brunt of the storm, but if we can get the winds to shift just a little bit, we could be talking about another 8 - 16 inches as is predicted for most of the watch area. Worth keeping an eye on...

Monster Storm Set to Bury Nation's Capital, Northeast

All the attention will be focused on the east for the next 12 to 48 hours. A monster winter storm is moving up the east coast, working its way into Washington DC this evening, and later clipping most of the major cities in New England. Snowfall totals will range from 6 to 24 inches, with heavy snow and wind creating blizzard conditions. Here is a quick screen shot of the storm from the weather channel... Notice that Virginia is almost completely covered with heavy snow bands at this hour, and according to CNN they have already declared a state of emergency. Wish I was there! For Denver... This weekend will remain warm and dry. Boring. Next week's weather could change a little as mentioned in my previous post, but thus far nothing too impressive on the horizon. A good bet temps will drop during the middle of next week, and could be talking about some (light) snow at some point as well. Until then, enjoy the 40s, 50s and sun!

Snow! Snow! ...Snow?

The National Weather Service has issued a *winter storm watch* for most of the mountains and the urban corridor from late Tuesday night through Wednesday night. At this point the forecast is calling for 6 - 12 inches of snow during this period, with "areas of blowing snow and reduced visibilities" (nws). A winter storm watch means that there is the potential for a decent storm - but with plenty that still needs to come into place - not a certainty. The blue shaded areas on the left image show the areas under the winter storm watch, the image on the right is the current radar (weather.com) with the approaching storm in the northwest. (click to enlarge)




Keep in mind there are still many details to be worked out in the next 24 hours as this storm starts to take shape. In the latest forecast discussion by the NWS they discussed a number of concerns that may limit the amount of snow fall we actually see. Those include the uncertainty surrounding the duration of the storm (some models suggest it will move faster than others), the potential for dry slots and downsloping wind (hindering upslope favorable for Denver, and keeping heaviest snow accumulation west and east of Denver). That said, they seem to think 6 - 12 inches is a good compromise as some models are suggesting upwards of 18 inches, and other predicting less.

This blog will be following the any developments very closely over the next 12 - 24 hours! Stay tuned!

Blizzard '09 - 4am

This is one for the history books. 

*Snow Totals*

Here are the most recent snow totals (inches) as of 6am, Friday:

Eldorado Springs: 24.3

Westminster: 17.3

Boulder: 16.2

Thornton, Broomfield, Aurora: 14

Northwest Denver: 13

Highlands Ranch: 12.5

Castle Rock: 11.5

Downtown: 10.5

Fort Collins: 8

Snow drifts of 2 - 4 feet reported.

Video Update!

*Live* from the heart of the storm...