The dry, mild and quiet December weather pattern will continue for Denver and all of Colorado.
Tonight will be mostly clear, less windy with lows in the 20s on the plains, single digits and teens in the mountains. Saturday and Sunday will be mostly sunny, warm and dry with gusty winds returning on Sunday. Expect upper 50s to low 60s for lower elevations and 30s to low 40s in the mountains.
Monday will be slightly cooler again as a minor cold front slides through the central Rockies. The front should not bring much moisture - perhaps some snow showers for the northern and central mountains.
Looking ahead, the JET STREAM will remain in a position that will carry most of the cold and snow to the north and east of Colorado through the middle of next week. The main storm track will bring the best snows to southern Canada, the Great Lakes and New England.
The good news for skiers has been the cold overnight temperatures. The clear, quiet conditions that have been the norm recently have made for excellent snowmaking weather for all of our resorts. A big snowstorm would be preferred, but at least we have some man-made snow to ski and ride on!
There are signs in the long range forecast that the JET STREAM pattern will shift a bit and bring the storm track back into the Pacific Northwest and then down into Colorado. This change appears to be about a week away and could bring us into a snowy pattern in time for Christmas!
In Denver, only 2.8 inches of snow has fallen since September. By early December, Denver should typically see around 16 inches of snow, so we are well below normal. In the mountains, the snow-pack is low as well. The statewide average is just 60 percent of normal for early December.
Snow in the northern mountains is about 75 to 80 percent of normal, while the central mountains have less than half of the normal snowfall to date. The worst snow conditions are in southwestern Colorado with about one third of the normal snow-pack.
We have you covered as the weather changes - Storm Shield App. In addition, Storm Shield PLUS can provide important information about approaching severe weather. Go to StormShieldAlerts.com or call 877-438-4977 for more information or text to word SHIELD to 21000.
