Colorado Weather Discussion Thread

**Puffin** · 12-23-2009, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by Crampedon

Like your optomism low-post Puffin! Great to have you near a window.
spotter posts are great.

Keep on' puffin

Puff your blues away

Puffins are the best

Haha.

I went riding on Vail today, was less than spectacular. But I had fun.

Unfortunately there really is not enough terrain to disperse the holiday deluge of tourists so the snow got ripped up pretty fast but its snowing fairly hard now. Hopefully it keeps up snowing this evening to make for a soft thursday.

**hawkgt** · 12-23-2009, 04:01 PM

Only about 2" at loveland today, bit of light snow while I was there... tracked out quickly... hell, even some sun burned through for a bit. Fun while it lasted....

**Neezer** · 12-23-2009, 04:07 PM

Breckenridge was so so as well....crowded though. Got carved up pretty quick. about 3 inches.

**montanaskier** · 12-23-2009, 04:29 PM

gonna be a shit show of a weekend inbounds. Get out early, get your turns and then get home before everybody else wakes up and gets out.

Flow has shifted to more favorable direction, maybe we can pick up a few more inches.

**Rontele** · 12-23-2009, 04:36 PM

Puffin cock

**PowTrees** · 12-23-2009, 05:04 PM

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 1.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 22.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 4.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 28.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 5.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 24.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 6.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 24.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 6.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 24.

NWS, Vail forecast for the next week after this small storm system is Teh Suck (hope long range accuracy as bad as often claimed)

**powder_prophet** · 12-23-2009, 08:18 PM

Sick cowboy powder at keystone today. Nothing beats 2" on a groomer!!!

**funkendrenchman** · 12-23-2009, 08:20 PM

4" here since the lifts closed... 9" total

**garuda** · 12-23-2009, 08:24 PM

periods of 1-2" an hour snow today on BP (and some lulls too). Northwest flow in action up there.

**powderpounder** · 12-23-2009, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by gratzo

Radar lighting up on the eastern mountains and plains. West of the divide is a different story. Some decent lift is creating snow from Monarch up to I-70, but this lift is waning and the radar returns from the Grand Junction (KGJT) radar are decreasing. Best shot of good snow for Aspen/BC/Vail/Copper looks like later Wed into Thurs morning...a few more inches with a quick and cold storm coming down the pike from Canada.

Wolf Creek and Eldora should do the best.

....

Hope the snow falls deeper than expected...

The GJ radar can be very deceptive for conditions at the local hill just a few miles from where the radar unit is located. While the waning of radar returns you mention was going on, the dump was also going on resulting in a foot of fresh for this morning.

**gratzo** · 12-24-2009, 01:11 AM

Originally Posted by powderpounder

The GJ radar can be very deceptive for conditions at the local hill just a few miles from where the radar unit is located. While the waning of radar returns you mention was going on, the dump was also going on resulting in a foot of fresh for this morning.

Very true, and as I've said before, radar in the mountains doesn't work very well. I was noting that the trend of radar returns was decreasing, and the IR satellite image was also showing warmer cloud tops = theoretically less snow (http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/sate...12&duration=12). Obviously, Powderhorn worked some magic...good for them!

**Goatski** · 12-24-2009, 03:13 AM

i called 12" @ powderhorn... my blog site will be up soon

until then - just follow the green radar blobs

**smmokan** · 12-24-2009, 09:52 AM

Well, it looks like the orographic uplift of the northwesterly flow from the fence in my backyard must have had a crazy effect on this recent storm.

I mean really, how else can you explain more snow at 5500' in Erie than at any resort within 200 miles of me?

Seriously, 3" at Loveland? FAIL.

**montanaskier** · 12-24-2009, 10:48 AM

7 at the Beav, 10 total. Clear skies last night except a big ole cloud on the Beav that was just sitting there. 6 total at Fail.

edit: next shot looks to be 7 days away or so, late next week with precip favoring the south again.

gunit130 · 12-24-2009, 11:02 AM

i'm going to take up bowling or something. fuck man

so you think it's gonna be super crowded eh? any chance of opening the epic and majestic vail back bowls this week?

another 7 dry days is gonna be bruuuuutal

**Blurred** · 12-24-2009, 11:17 AM

yo weather nerds, why has it been teh suck in Colorado so far this season?
When will the lameness stop and when will boner city arrive?

gunit130 · 12-24-2009, 11:25 AM

In similar years with this kind of start answer = never, or not very often, and if so, will probably be March/April

**montanaskier** · 12-24-2009, 11:39 AM

dude, I'm not sure I know what you all are talking about. Vail received almost 30" in December!

Nobody can predict when the storm track will shift north to help the I70 corridor and north but in typical El Nino years that happens in the spring.

Looking at historical snow data, 98/99 appears to be the last time it was this thin at this time of the year. It will come.

No chance the back opens is my guess. Even if they were able to open, it would be one groomed section down to 17 and another one down China. Have a Merry Christmas, the snow will come.

**Gregger** · 12-24-2009, 12:29 PM

8" of super dry fluff at my house right near Smmokan. Super fail on the mountains though.

**montanaskier** · 12-24-2009, 12:33 PM

not a super fail. A buddy just said the Beav was a legit 7 overnight and that it skied nicely this morning.

**media310** · 12-24-2009, 12:50 PM

...well you can blame me now.. the snow seems to be following me....

Good Ole' Louisville, CO

I never thought in my wildess dreams that I would have more snow while living down here in the shity. I spent 9 years in Vail and just moved down here, I keep thinking to myself why of why did I leave my home in the mountains.. However it seems to be snowing here and my Red Rocks - Marshall Road - Eldora sessions havent sucked.. I guess just make the most of what you got..

Smmoken - car pool sometime? Im available 7 days a week..

**smmokan** · 12-24-2009, 02:58 PM

Sure thing... I'm mostly a weekend warrior these days though.

Just got done hiking around the Flatirons in South Boulder- easily a foot of blower in most places.

**funkendrenchman** · 12-24-2009, 04:59 PM

Uhh, where'd this come from?

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM FRIDAY TO 6 AM MST
SATURDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND JUNCTION HAS ISSUED A
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW...WHICH IS IN
EFFECT FROM 6 AM FRIDAY TO 6 AM MST SATURDAY.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 5 TO 10 INCHES BY SATURDAY MORNING WITH
LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS FAVORING NORTH-FACING SLOPES.

* NORTH WINDS OF 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 35 MPH.

* AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW OVER HIGH EXPOSED TERRAIN.

**montanaskier** · 12-24-2009, 05:53 PM

yeah that caught me off guard too. Looks like classic overriding event. Snow ratios could be in the 30:1 range...that is DUST. Would be sweet to get 5-10" of dust tomorrow. Come on Santa!