Steamboat Springs — Winter air service begins Dec. 17, and the first Steamboat Springs visitors likely will be welcomed by fresh snow at the Steamboat Ski Area.

Steamboat meteorologist Mike Weissbluth, who runs snowalarm.com, expects a series of storms to begin impacting the Steamboat area Friday.

“Temperatures will be mild ahead of the storm until the cold front passes sometime on Friday, leading to the possibility of rain or mixed precipitation at the lower elevations until colder air filters into the region,” Weissbluth wrote.

Weissbluth expects the snow to increase during the day Friday, becoming moderate to heavy at times during the afternoon. He said southwest winds will limit snowfall, and he is calling for between three to six inches by Saturday morning at the ski area.

“Cold air will pour into Colorado during the day Saturday as the storm moves over the area, keeping snow showers with light accumulations going through the day,” Weissbluth said. “But snows should pick up again by Saturday night as the winds finally turn to our favored northwest directions, and a weak wave moves over the area early in the day on Sunday, leaving one to four inches for the Sunday morning (snow) report.”

More snow could arrive Monday.

“Winds look to turn northwesterly by Monday night, and cold temperatures with moderate to sometimes heavy snow are forecast to occur overnight and through the day Tuesday,” Weissbluth said.

He said there is another possibility of snow Wednesday.

“There may be a break in the snowfall near the end of next week before additional storms may threaten the area around the next weekend,” Weissbluth said.

Meteorologist Joel Gratz, who runs opensnow.com, predicts the best powder days at the ski area will be Friday, Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

To reach Matt Stensland, call 970-871-4247, email mstensland@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @SBTStensland