On Wednesday April 11, a cold front was bearing down on western Colorado. It will pass in the early evening and bring a shot of snow to the tired and dirty GMNC ski area. The groomers are off playing golf somewhere and the snowcat is on holiday until next season, but we are about to get some significant, fresh, white snowfall.
Snow will start Wednesday night and continue off and on through Saturday producing 4-8 inches. Winds will remain gusty from the SW.
The on Sunday the brunt of the storm will pass and turn our winds to a cold, moist, north flow. Expect another 5-10 inches Sunday into Monday with the temperatures staying below freezing for those days. Showers may linger into Tuesday when temperatures start to recover back above freezing in the afternoon. For Wednesday-Friday dry conditions return to the Mesa and surrounding valleys. Morning low and afternoon high temperatures will straddle the freezing mark helping to form a firm crust.
Powder skiing may be a lot of fun this weekend into early next week. Be aware of potential avalanche danger on steep slopes though, as the new snow will easliy slide off the old snow layer. Then watch for potential *sweet* crust skiing late next week after the snow has gone through 2-3 days of freeze-thaw. Crust skiing is best in the morning hours after a cold night and before the afternoon sun turns everything to slush. Check out the temperatures at Skyway here:http://raws.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/roman/meso_base.cgi?stn=CAGMS&time=GMT
Subtract 6 hours from the time at this site to get MDT.
Enjoy!
Mojo




