Cold, snowy and windy out there. A look at the active weather pattern through Sun

01/09/24 8am: Cold, snowy and windy on the front-range this morning as expected with the current storm system moving in. Some snow starting to move into the Front Range mountains as well.

Its a bit of strange storm system with a weaker upper-level low from the northern branch of the jet-stream combining with a broad trough from the southern branch (its a bit disorganized and weak at the moment thus limited impacts)...this is the same storm that will bring heavy snow to parts of TX, OK, AR, TN and northern MS, AL, GA over the next several days (a big southern snow storm).

Anyway, here in CO we will have an active weather pattern through Sunday with back-to-back storm systems: another storm system will bring more substantial snow to the mountains from late Fri night through late Sat night.

Current radar shows some snow flying over Den/Bou now with the heaviest snow along/east of I-25 and south of Denver towards the Palmer Divide. With the stronger north / northwest winds at the surface this puts the focus for snowfall south of Denver: Palmer Divide and foothills....those areas can expect 1-3" in spots. For Den/Bou just a Trace-1", mostly from Den south (at my house in Westminster some flakes flying right now but barely accumulating and its windy).

The north-central mountains will get just a little snow mostly from 11am-11pm today with the focus along/east of the Cont. Divide. The local ski areas (in Summit, Grand, ClearCreek) can expect 1-4" in spots with heaviest amounts east of Summit Co (from A-Basin to Loveland to WP, to IPW and RMNP will be favored locally)

As this low drops into southern CO today it will bring some heavier snow to parts of the Sangre De Cristo and Wet Mountains (4-8" down there) and some snow to the San Juans from Silverton to Wolf Creek: 2-5" for those areas.

A short break in the action during the day Friday: mostly sunny, a bit chilly and windy in spots over the front-range mountains.

Then tracking a stronger storm system for Fri night through Sat night. This short-wave trough will come in on stronger northwest flow aloft and some colder air and will favor northern / northwest CO with the heaviest snowfall.

The north-central mountains (including Routt, Pitkin, Eagle, Summit, Grand, ClearCreek, western Boulder/Larimer counties) can expect the next round of snow primarily from 12am Sat to 5am Sun (heaviest snow expected Sat afternoon / evening). Generally look like an additional 4-8" of snow for the local ski areas with 6-12" for areas closer to Steamboat ski / Park Range and the Flat Top.

There is a slight chance Den/Bou and the front-range gets a bit more snow or snow-showers on Saturday afternoon / evening.

I will actually be heading to New Orleans on Sunday for a work conference (the annual AMS conference) and then heading right to L.A. for a wedding next Thu-Sun (if it is still happening), so I'll be out for another week, starting Sun and Thomas will help fill in with the weather forecasts.

First image is current composite radar. Second image is latest surface map showing current temps, dewpt, wind-speed and precip (windy and cold today). Third image shows forecast total snowfall over the next 24hrs (through 5am Fri) from latest HRRR, for this first storm. Fourth image shows forecast total snowfall from now through 5am Sun from latest GFS, showing both storms combined, but mostly from the Sat storm system (take amounts with grain of salt). Fifth image loop shows the evolution of the forecast pattern via 500mb vorticity / wind (base of the jet-stream) from latest GFS...you can see this current strange storms system and the next northwest oriented short-wave for Sat.