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Early-season skiers and riders reveled in powder at Wolf Creek, shown here in December, which got the best early season snow in the state. For much of the season, Wolf Creek was the only Colorado ski area with average snowfall or above. Now, though, much of the state can expect snow like this for the rest of this week, and more may be coming next week. (Preston Bass, provided by Wolf Creek ski area)
Most Colorado ski areas are anticipating massive accumulations of snow for the rest of the week, with many predicted to receive more than a foot and a half before the storm winds down.
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The Snowmass snow stake this morning shows just how much the area received from Wednesday’s storm. (Courtesy of Aspen Snowmass)
Snowmass is the early leader in this week’s snowfall sweepstakes, but Steamboat’s bounty is coming.
According to 24-hour snow totals reported this morning, Snowmass led the way with 20 inches. Wednesday’s storm dropped ample snow on the mountains while Denver stayed largely dry. Here’s a list of double-digit totals according to OpenSnow, an independent snow reporting and forecasting service:
Snowmass: 20 inches
Beaver Creek: 13 inches
Keystone: 11 inches
“Wednesday night’s narrow band of intense snow materialized about as expected and Thursday morning’s snow reports are ranging from 6-20 inches,” OpenSnow meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote in his Thursday morning report. “Thursday will bring some snow showers to the northern mountains, then from Thursday night to Saturday midday, another round of snow will hit mostly
Snowstorm to hit Vail over next 4 days; up to 19 inches of snow predicted vaildaily.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from vaildaily.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Vail Mountain reported its 48-hour snowfall total to be less than what many were expecting for its 24-hour total on Sunday morning.
The mistake was later corrected but caught the attention of powder chasing enthusiast Joel Gratz, the meteorologist who founded opensnow.com and has become a dependable snow tracker for the regularity with which he publishes his morning blog.
Vail s snowstake, in the early morning hours Sunday, shows 11 inches of snow. The snowskate is cleared off at 5 a.m. each morning as the day s totals are recorded. (vail.com, Special to the Daily)
Gratz, on Sunday morning, described the mistake as frustrating.
After a week of mostly dry weather, Summit County is expected to see a few snowflakes this weekend. According to National Weather Service meteorologist Evan Direnzo, 1-3 inches of snow is expected to fall over.