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Photo by Reid Griebling
Headline RSS FeedWith warm weather, a bit of wind, try sunny Arrowhead and Bachelor Gulch
March 11, 2008 —
Good day to all, hope the last two weeks have treated you well. I know it was great for the "Vail Snob" http://www.realvail.com/CenteroftheUniverse/ (nice photo).
Our weather has been spring-like through the first part of March, and should continue.
We can expect to see more quick storms cycles move through the area, with warming temps directly following.
Our next cold front moves in Wednesday (March 12) evening bringing light accumulation. The good news is that this storm does have all of the ingredients to drop another 4-6 inches by Thursday afternoon as the bulk of the energy passes over during the day Thursday.
Temperatures will range from the low 30s at the base, and high teens on the mountain through the weekend at both Vail and the Beav'. Winds will be light Wednesday during the day increasing overnight.
Thursday winds will be in the 20-30 mph range from the W/NW, with gusts into the 50s at the ridge tops.
Winds will move to the southwest Friday and Saturday which should keep temps mild.
The overall outlook for the remainder of March looks favorable for those who have not had their fill of powder days. Unsettled weather should stay with us through March, increasing chances of snow.
Also, now is the time to venture over to Arrowhead and Bachelor Gulch, with warm temperatures and soft snow, the skiing is great, and they also have some great après music at the Broken Arrow this time of year.
And did I mention the parking is FREE!
Happy snow-riding
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Another great month of snow for the Vail Valley
February 29, 2008 —
Vail Mountain saw 95 inches of snow during the month of February, and March is annually one of the wettest months in the Centennial State.(Beaver Creek was not available at the time). And with spring slowly creeping upon us, daytime temperatures will begin to soften the snow on the south facing aspects of both Vail and the Beav'. This freeze-thaw pattern will continue throughout the remainder of the ski season, and with it, are some local tips that can help those of you who are unfamiliar. Temperatures during the overnight period are still well below freezing, keeping the snow cold, however, when the sunrises and begins to warm the air, the snow on the mountains begins to "thaw" giving snow-riders soft and very fun snow conditions. During the morning hours on the mountain, skiing on trails that are ungroomed can be a nightmare. There are many different names for these snow conditions: death cookies, chicken heads, and my favorite, the coral reef. None of these names sound good for snow-riding; and they aren't. Until after the noon hour, the best skiing on the mountain will be on the groomed trails. Be sure to pick up a grooming report at the base of every lift each morning.
Groomed trails will vary each day, so be sure to check with anyone wearing a yellow jacket. Also, be aware that many of the Back Bowls will be closed until the snow softens, please feel free to ask anyone in a yellow or red jacket if the bowls are open and respect the rope closures that are put in place, they are there for your safety. The weather for the upcoming weekend looks favorable for more snowfall. Saturday looks warm with increasing winds from the west.
Temperatures look to reach the 30's on the mountain and 40's at the base. Winds should range anywhere from 15-25 mph during the day and increasing overnight as the next storm system makes its way into the northern mountains. Snowfall will increase after the midnight hour Saturday and continue through Sunday. We should see the bulk of the snowfall Sunday during the day as the storm moves eastward. Snow totals should range from 4-7 inches by Sunday p.m. Temperatures will be colder on Sunday, with highs in the low 20's.
Winds should range anywhere from 10-20 mph. Monday the storm moves out and leaves us under partly cloudy skies and warmer temps. Hopefully we see enough moisture and cooler temperatures to get a good amount of accumulating snow from this storm, we will watch.
Again, if you are planning on snow-riding during the morning hours, pick up a grooming report and stick to the front side of the mountain while the sun works its magic for the Back Bowls. Happy March!
- Reed
1 Comment on "Another great month of snow for the Vail Valley"
Luke — March 2, 2008
Another rough day at work! Your pictures came out great!
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Snow, now wetter, should continue
February 26, 2008 —
Another round of snow will impact our area moving in from the northwest later today, Feb. 25, and remaining through the night. Gusty winds will again be arriving just before the low pressure system with winds in the 20-30 mph range over the ridge tops and gusts into the 40s. This weak system is the second half of the storm that dropped good amounts of snow on us last night (Feb. 24).
There is another good chance of accumulating snow with this system as we see good amounts of moisture, cooler temps (teens-low 20s), and favorable winds that should enhance orographic lift, also known as the "toilet bowl" affect by some locals.
Forecasters are calling for 4-6 inches to fall overnight, and with the windy conditions we should see most of the tracks from today (Feb. 25) fill up. I think we could see a bit more, anywhere from 5-10 inches, again, by the morning of Feb. 26.
Both Vail and Beaver Creek ski patrol reported good amounts of snow this morning with Vail adding 10 inches and the Beav' with 9 inches. Both areas also reported snow density at 10 percent, pretty wet for our area, typically we will see snow density in the 5-8 percent range.
Moving into the month of March, with only 49 days on the ski calender as of today, we will begin to see very different weather. We might see three days of 40 degree temps, and suddenly watch a cold front move in and drop 12 inches of snow.
Remember, March is annually one of our wettest months. With that in mind, we will begin to see different types of snow fall on the ground. The most common "springish" type of snow we will see is graupel, also known as soft hail. This type of snow will usually precede a cold storm after days of warm weather.
Graupel is associated with warm temperatures at the surface and cooling temps in the air masses above. I have listed a link below that has charts and some interesting info on all types of snow that falls from the sky. As I mentioned, we are in the season of varying temperatures and storm patterns, so we will see many types of these snow forms falling within the next month.
Check out this cool link to snowflake shapes and types: Caltech.edu/snowcrystals
Happy powder days, don't forget to smile!
1 Comment on "Snow, now wetter, should continue"
Jeff Wiles — February 26, 2008
I call the toilet bowl effect the "Gore Range Wrap Around" for the back bowl snow. Don't know what anyone else calls it. Thanks Reid
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Gusty winds, snow in the forecast
February 22, 2008 —
High pressure that has been with us for almost two weeks will begin to dissolve as the jet stream axis moves towards the west bringing with it an active storm pattern through Monday. We will begin to see snow showers develop over the highest elevations late this afternoon as snow levels drop overnight.
We can expect to see 3-5 inches by Saturday morning with snow continuing through Saturday afternoon. This storm will bring with it gusty winds (30-40 mph) and temps will drop with the arrival of a weak cold front.
Temperatures will be mild (teens to 20s) considering a front will pass through. Warm temperatures will limit total snowfall due to light moisture and high dew points, but overall we should see some welcome snow on the ground Saturday.
Sunday a stronger low will move in from the west with better dynamics for accumulating snowfall. If temperatures stay cold we could see a powder day on Monday with anywhere from 5-10 inches on the ground by Monday morning.
Temperatures will cool again Saturday night as the next system approaches, but still fairly mild for the season (teens and 20's).
Happy snow-riding!
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