A warming trend this weekend is expected to give way to another series of winter storms into the first week of February, but the unsettled push toward spring is on.
The National Weather Service was calling for high temperatures inching into the upper 40s, possibly the low 50s in the Glenwood Springs area on Sunday, followed by temps in the mid-40s on Saturday.
But it’s the classic warm before the storm, says Jonathon Klepatski, a Pathways Program intern with the weather service in Grand Junction and U.S. Navy weather forecaster/observer.
“Right now, we have a ridge set up that’s building through the weekend,” Klepatski said Friday. “With that high-pressure system, the air sinks and it tends to warm up. That can last for a couple of days.”
While parts of the central Rocky Mountains will see temperatures in the 40s and 50s, Denver-area temperatures are expected to rise into the 60s, he said.
But a moisture-laden storm system is making its way through the Pacific Northwest toward Colorado, and is expected to arrive Monday with an 80% chance of snow Monday and into Tuesday, according to the latest forecast.
Not to worry for skiers and other snow sports enthusiasts, though, as the higher-elevation forecast calls for daytime temperatures to remain in the mid-30s through the weekend. That is expected to be followed by snow and windy conditions Monday and temperatures dropping into the single digits overnight into Tuesday morning.
“As we get closer to the springtime, and what we call the transition period, you will start to see temperatures increase above normal during the day, but also dipping below normal at times,” Klepatski said. “In a way, it’s quite normal, especially as we get into February.”
The central mountains are expected to receive multiple inches of snow this week, as Monday’s storm is expected to be followed by another storm on Thursday and Friday.
OpenSnow.com meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote in his daily snow forecast Friday that anywhere from 6-15 inches of snow is expected from Monday morning into Tuesday morning.
“This storm will make a direct hit on Colorado, which means that all [ski] mountains should see moderate-to-significant snow totals,” Gratz wrote, adding the Aspen-Snowmass area should see at least 5 inches of new snow.
“… Next week (February 10-14) should stay active with snow potentially targeting the southern mountains. It should be a good multi-week cycle” he wrote.
That’s also good news for Sunlight Mountain Resort outside of Glenwood Springs, which has seen good ski conditions through January but will be banking on new snow to build on the area’s current 30-inch base.
