Colorado Ski Resorts Get Late Season Snow Boost

"Moisture is limited, which should limit snow accumulations, but any moisture in a cold northwest flow can create a few sneaky inches of accumulation," Joel Gratz, founding meteorologist of OpenSnow, wrote. This statement — cautioning against overestimating the impact of recent snowfall — is worth watching, especially given the historically low snowpack and record-high temperatures that have defined this season.

A second storm in the first days of April dropped snow across Colorado's mountains, with some resorts receiving close to a foot of snow. The big winners in the storm were the western parts of the north and central mountains, which saw between 9 and 12 inches of powder drop on a thin, frozen base. Five days after closing, Beaver Creek received the most snow in the state from the storm, accumulating a foot of fresh snow overnight. Vail Mountain and Steamboat Resort trailed behind this, with both resorts waking up to 11 inches on Friday morning.

The short version: several Colorado ski resorts got a much-needed boost from two April snowstorms. Crested Butte and Irwin saw the deepest snow totals in the central mountains, wrapping up the two-day storm at 22 and 24 inches, respectively. Make no mistake, this snowfall is a welcome relief, but it's not a solution to the larger issue of low snowpack.

As of Friday morning, here's how much snow was recorded at Colorado's open resorts overnight: Vail Mountain had 11 inches, Steamboat had 11 inches, Snowmass had 9 inches, Aspen Mountain had 6 inches, Breckenridge had 4 inches, Winter Park had 4 inches, Copper Mountain received 3 inches of snow, Keystone Resort's total was 3 inches, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area also got 3 inches, Loveland Ski Area had 2 inches, and Crested Butte had 2 inches.

The storm brings much-needed relief to the mountains, even as several of Colorado's ski resorts prepare to close on Sunday, April 5. Crested Butte, Keystone, Snowmass, Steamboat, Telluride, and Wolf Creek are all scheduled to close Sunday. This could be the last powder day for most of these resorts, rounding out a season defined by historically low snowpack and record-high temperatures.

Read that again: several resorts are closing on Easter Sunday. The report also lists these resorts as scheduled to close: Crested Butte, Keystone, Snowmass, Steamboat, Telluride, and Wolf Creek. While I do not see any day of the next 15 as having a high chance of being a powder day, with some precipitation on the way and reasonable temperatures in the 30s and 40s over the next two weeks, some of our snowpack will stick around and will allow higher elevation terrain to remain open, Gratz wrote.

Some precipitation is expected to hit the southern mountains on April 6 and 7 and the rest of the Western Slope between April 9 and 14. These showers from April 9-14 could turn into a decent amount of precipitation if we're lucky, and temperatures will likely be cold enough to produce snow. The northern mountains could continue to see cold temperatures and some additional flakes on Friday afternoon and evening.

The fact that several resorts are closing soon is a reminder that the season is ending, and the snowpack is still low. Folks around here know that a good snowpack is crucial for our water supply, and this season's low snowpack will have implications for our community. The short version: we need more snow, and we need it to stick around.

Saturday and Sunday should bring dry, blue sky days to Colorado's mountains, with a high temperature of 30°F on Saturday and around 40°F on Sunday. This will be a welcome change for locals, but it's also a reminder that the weather can be unpredictable. As we look ahead to the rest of the season, it's worth keeping an eye on the forecast, and hoping for more snow.

The question on everyone's mind: what's next for our snowpack? The answer, for now, is that this season's low snowpack will have a lasting impact on our community, and we'll be feeling the effects for months to come.