Significant snow expected with storms taking aim at Steamboat
Residents in Steamboat Springs woke up to a fresh coating of snow Thursday morning after a winter storm moved through the area overnight. (Photo by John F. Russell)
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — A fresh blanket of snow covered Routt County on Thursday, and a lot more was possibly on the way.
Steamboat Resort’s Champagne Powder Snow Cam was showing about 3 inches of new snow at mid-mountain. Amounts varied in the valley.
One weather observer in Steamboat Springs who reports to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network was reporting 1.7 inches of new snow at 7 a.m.
Keep up with the conditions:
• Find the latest forecast and recent weather stories here.
• View Steamboat webcams here.
• Find information from the National Weather Service, including storm warnings and advisories at wrh.noaa.gov
• The Colorado Department of Transportation provides road conditions, closures and traffic cameras at cotrip.org.
• For travel information by phone, call 511 (in Colorado) or dial 303-639-1111.
• Find information about avalanche danger and conditions from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
• For flight information, visit flightview.com/traveltools.
Observers in South Routt County were reporting about an inch of snow.
Steamboat meteorologist Mike Weissbluth, who runs the website snowalarm.com, said three more storms approaching from the northwest were taking aim at the Steamboat region.
Some snow showers were expected Friday morning before the next storm approached Friday night.
Weissbluth said travel on Rabbit Ears Pass could be hazardous during the storms.
Heavy snow and windy conditions were expected overnight Friday before tapering off during the day Saturday.
Weissbluth was calling for an additional 6 to 12 inches of snow mid-mountain at Steamboat Resort with 8 to 16 inches of snow possible at higher elevations.
After that, another storm should approach Sunday morning.
Again, it will arrive with northwest winds, which are the most favorable in terms of snowfall for Steamboat’s mountains.
“Weather forecast models agree that this will be a longer-duration event, with moderate to even heavy snows likely at peak times between noon on Sunday and noon on Monday before they taper off in the afternoon and end in the evening,” Weissbluth wrote.
He is again calling for an additional 6 to 12 inches at mid-mountain and 8 to 16 inches at higher elevations.
Weissbluth said there will be a break in the weather Monday night through most of Tuesday.
Later in the day Tuesday, yet another storm is expected to arrive.
“While there looks to be less moisture associated with this storm as compared to Monday, it is forecast to be colder, so we may see another 3 to 6 inches of low-density, light and fluffy snow at mid-mountain by Wednesday afternoon if the storm stays on track,” Weissbluth wrote.
To reach Matt Stensland, call 970-871-4247, email mstensland@SteamboatPilot.com or follow him on Twitter @SBTStensland.
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