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As you know… we’re tracking intense cold and snow this weekend in Southern Colorado. Thursday has been decent and Friday will be as well at least through around 2:00PM.
But to be blunt… this isn’t an "ideal" ski weekend. Wind chills will be in the negative thirties at times… we’ll get snow, but it’s mostly confined to the Front Range peaks, making travel difficult… but with non-impressive amounts in the central mountains, so you won’t have a lot of new powder to ski on. All the fun of driving through a storm with none of the reward!
If you’re one of the brave souls that enjoys spending hours outdoors in arctic air… here’s your forecast.
First, let’s walk through feels-like temperatures. These numbers factor in wind and humidity and better represent cold air risks. On Friday afternoon, expect typical January cold. It’ll feel between about 10 and 20 degrees during the ski day.
The temperature elevator goes for a dive - tower of terror style - from there. Saturday afternoon will feel between negative 10 and negative 20 degrees… coldest in the northern Front Range mountains where frostbite on exposed skin will be possible within 30 minutes. Winter Park looks particularly brutal with wind chills in the -22 range. When wind chills are below around -18, frostbite is possible on exposed skin within 30 minutes. Factor in that this assumes you're not moving. If you're skiing into the wind - your speed will add to the wind.
On Sunday… it’ll feel like the negative teens. In the morning, frostbite is a concern at all resorts with frostbite times between 15 and 30 minutes. In the afternoon… the western and southern resorts will climb above those values while resorts along I-70 will remain within that 30 minute range.
MLK Junior Day gets even colder with wind chills between negative twenty-five and negative thirty-five. Moral of the story: Friday is the best bet on temps.
Now let’s turn to the snow. Friday is mainly dry with clouds in the PM.
Light snow moves in Saturday morning with the heavier snow running along the Front Range hills. It continues into the PM and should be light and fluffy, moving out several hours after resorts close, including night skiing at Keystone.
Sunday is mainly cloudy.
And more light snow moves through Monday morning.
Totals really don’t justify the travel headache. Sunday morning we’ll have a couple of inches of powder.
After round two, the combined totals will be two to four inches. Colorado Springs will get more snow than most resorts!
Since this is a holiday weekend… it is likely to be at least moderately busy as well, particularly with out of state travelers who already have set reservations.
If you do choose to ski this weekend: be smart. Cover all exposed skin and plan on going inside frequently to warm up to avoid hypothermia and frostbite.
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