Summary
Two small troughs are forecasted to bring stormy conditions and moderate snowfall to Colorado this week before a stormier pattern sets up going into next week. Accumulations should be between 4-6″ at most elevations above 8,000 feet in the northern region of the state. Localized totals of up to 10-12″ are possible above 14,000 feet.
Sunday-Monday
The first storm will be the smaller of the two. Light showers in northern Colorado will increase throughout the day. Throughout the day on Monday, light accumulations are likely for all mountains north of Aspen. Accumulations will be extremely confined to just the northern half of the state, with a few inches possible. This should be enough to soften the snow surface at the resorts heading into next week, but a significant powder day is unlikely.
Tuesday-Friday
The storm arriving on Tuesday is looking more promising for heavier accumulations and more equal snowfall distribution down into the central and southern mountains, as well. The main storm energy begins to reach Colorado on Tuesday afternoon.
This storm will deposit the most snow on Tuesday night, but lingering accumulating precipitation will fall on the mountains until Friday. In terms of totals, the highest totals will still be located in the northern region of Colorado. Accumulations of between 4 inches at lower elevations to 12 inches on the highest peaks of the northern region are possible. However, the central and southern areas should still see 2-6″ in the mountains.
Extended forecast
Things are looking stormy for Colorado heading into early November. Another potentially stronger storm is forecasted to make it into the region the following weekend. From there, things will likely quiet down for some time before storminess returns to the region around the 12th or so. Exact details about this stormy pattern are still up in the air, but stay tuned for future SnowBrains forecasts with additional information!