Looking ahead...

We have come back above freezing after a cold, snowy Christmas week - and the way things look we should remain so for the extended period. There is one blip on the radar Wednesday night and Thursday as a quick cold front may give us enough upslope for some snow. At this point there is only about a 30% chance of precip, and accumulation does not look all that impressive. If we can get the front to drop in from just the right direction we may see a quick burst of decent snow... we shall see!

By the weekend we should warm into the 40s, with nights remaining quite cold through the period. Nothing too impressive on the horizon - but we all know how things can change!

Another 1 - 3"

Light snow will continue off and on into the evening, with another 1 to 3 inches expected around the region. Some heavier snow bands will bring isolated areas more than that, and other areas could very well be on the lower end of that prediction. Another cold front pushing south at this time is expected to keep the snow showers going for several more hours, and also bring with it a reinforcing shot of cold air and wind. Thursday and Friday highs will will hover around 20 degrees, but we could see some sunshine again as early as tomorrow.

Warmer for the weekend!

Storm Moves In...

Already snowing on the eastern plains, with a solid dry slot keeping us out of the action for now. This is reflected well in the warnings and forecasts, as the heaviest snows are expected well east of town. The National Weather Service is still predicting 4 - 8 inches in town before this is said and done tomorrow night... I remain skeptical, as many of these types of storms that favor the eastern plains miss us completely. That said, if the forecast holds true... we could be in for a very snowy 24 hours!

Snow!

While the heaviest snow will be west and east of Denver, there is enough confidence about the incoming storm that the NWS has now issued a *winter weather advisory* for all of the urban corridor. Total accumulation expected to range from 4 - 8 inches in town, with 5 - 10 out east. Wind and cold will be the other story, with the potential for blowing and drifting snow through the day Wednesday. Any lingering snow showers are expected to exit the area early Thursday, leaving cold (but dry) weather for Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

Any variation in storm track over the next 12 to 24 hours will greatly effect storm totals. Stay tuned as we may end up with nothing (it's happened before), or with a bigger storm on our hands! Here is a map showing the more severe warnings east of the metro area (pink).

Winter to Return

We will push 60 degrees again today as a warm, dry southerly wind gets pushed into the state ahead of the next cold front due in Tuesday night. A lot of uncertainty remains surrounding the exact track of this storm. At this point it looks like it will remain well south of the area bringing us just light snow over a prolonged period. The NWS is forecasting 3-6 inches with this current path, but suggests the storm is still far enough out that this could change quite a bit in the next 24 hours. For now the only advisories for the plains are well east of Denver where it looks like even with a southerly track the storm will be a bit stronger. The other story will be the cold. By Thursday temperatures will be some 40 degrees cooler than today.

According to this article by the NWS, the chance of there being at least an inch of snow on the ground for Christmas is about 36% over the last 107 years in Denver. The chance of measurable snowfall on Christmas day is about 13%.... Looks like this year we may at least have the former of the two!

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!