Forecast:
Saturday (1/4): Partly cloudy with highs in the low 30s, westerly winds with some gusts.
Sunday (1/5): Partly cloudy with highs in the low 30s, westerly winds.
Forecast Discussion:
The models generally agree we’ll see an inch of snow on New Year’s Day, with the Canadian (GDPS) model but not the others calling for the snow to linger through Friday. (The Canadian model is calling for 3” from Wednesday to Friday, while the others calling for just an inch total.) Best chance for more than an inch in our backcountry patrol zone will be on the northerly end and closer to the Continental Divide.
This weekend looks to be dry and relatively warm. The American (GFS) model’s Saturday forecast is for the highs to be in the upper 30s, while the Canadian (GDPS) model is calling for highs in the low 30s. And on Sunday the American (GFS) model is calling for abnormally low winds and no gusts – let’s hope the American model is right on the winds. Both models call for a small snowfall on Sunday night.
Looking back, Eldora got 3” of snow from the last storm, which fits right in with the model predictions.
Looking forward beyond the weekend, it looks like there are some weak systems swinging across Colorado over the next week, but nothing too significant.
Happy New Years!
-Jordan (Monday evening)
