Weather
Colorado’s next meaningful snow cycle runs Tue night (02/10) – Sat (02/14), and another colder round is possible from Mon (02/16) – Wed (02/18). The midweek stretch looks like the most reliable window for fresh turns, with the steadiest snow lining up Wednesday night into Thursday and lighter add-ons into Friday. Snow levels run a little high early, then step down late week, so snow quality should improve as the storm cycle matures. Some areas could see the next wave begin as early as Sun night (02/15), but confidence drops quickly with lead time and placement.
Warm temperatures and gusty winds dominate through Monday, then a cold front Monday evening knocks temperatures back for Tuesday. The mountains stay mostly dry early Tuesday, but light snow showers start to show up by late Tuesday into Tuesday night, mainly along the northern mountains and the Divide. Early accumulations look minor, and exposed terrain can stay wind-affected where new snow is thin. By Tuesday night, snow levels generally sit in the 7,000 to 8,000 feet range, so higher-elevation bases lean solidly snow while lower valleys stay mixed or rain.
From Tue night (02/10) – Sat (02/14), most Colorado resorts pick up 3″–8″, with the best odds for 7″–12″ in the southern San Juans, the Elk Mountains, and the far north. Snow ramps up Wednesday afternoon and peaks Wednesday night into Thursday, then continues in periodic pulses into Friday night, with a lighter tail on Saturday for the southern ranges. Snow levels hover near 8,000 feet early in the storm cycle and then drop toward 6,000 feet by late Friday, helping lower mountain elevations stay colder as the event winds down. SLRs during this cycle generally run 10–14:1 (moderate to fair quality), with some denser windows around 9–10:1 early and better bursts 15–17:1 as colder air filters in. Model spread is meaningful on where the fattest bands set up, with the GDPS often pushing the wettest pockets and the ECMWF generally on the drier side, while the AIFS tends to keep light snow going longer into Friday.
Confidence drops after Saturday, but the pattern still looks active with additional snow chances developing late weekend into Mon (02/16) – Wed (02/18). This next window trends colder, with snow levels in many mountain zones dipping into the 4,000 to 6,000 feet range and SLRs often climbing into the mid-teens and occasionally near 20:1 for lighter, drier snow if the colder solutions verify. There is also a wind signal, especially on exposed ridges, with gusts becoming more of a lift-factor as the next trough approaches. The ECMWF and the AIFS maintain an active storm track in that timeframe, the GDPS stays the wetter extreme in several ranges. Larger-scale signals through mid-month lean wetter than normal across Colorado, with temperatures still trending a bit above normal, so expect snow levels to bounce around as each wave comes through.
Resort Forecast Totals (Tue night (02/10) – Sat (02/14))
- Crested Butte – 8″–12″
- Wolf Creek – 7″–12″
- Steamboat – 7″–11″
- Telluride – 6″–10″
- Monarch – 5″–8″
- Loveland – 4″–7″
- Arapahoe Basin – 4″–6″
- Copper Mountain – 4″–6″
- Vail – 4″–5″
- Snowmass – 3″–5″
- Beaver Creek – 3″–5″
- Winter Park – 3″–4″
- Breckenridge – 2″–4″
Purgatory?