A highly anticipated and much-needed winter storm will bring heavy snow to Colorado’s southern mountains through Thursday, delivering up to 12 inches of snow.

The first weekend and full week of February are forecast to bring more snow to Colorado’s high country also.

Recap: 

On Tuesday, clear skies overnight and after sunrise led ahead of high-level clouds entering southwestern Colorado in the afternoon as a mid-week low-pressure system began pushing across the desert Southwest.

The Black Iron Bowl web camera caught some early-morning stars passing in the field of view ahead of sunrise, then showed the clouds above Bald Mountain drifting in.

The storm system slowed in its push eastward Monday, regressing slightly farther west into California, but has since begun its march east and will bring much-needed moisture to the Four Corners region, including Colorado’s southern mountains ski areas.

Temperatures were still warm, however, with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction recording a high of 25 degrees in Telluride and 27 degrees at Aspen Highlands.

Forecast:

On Wednesday morning it is snowing in southern Colorado and is forecast to do so through Thursday morning. A winter weather advisory is in effect until 5 a.m., Thursday for ski areas Telluride, Silverton, Purgatory, Kendall, and Wolf Creek.

Forecast snowfall totals for the southern mountains by Thursday morning range from between 8-12 inches.

The northern and central mountains should not see very much snow with this storm, as previously forecasted. Central mountain ski areas at Monarch and Crested Butte could see a trace-1 inch of snow, but nearly all the snow will stay south of Interstate 70, perhaps US Highway 50 even.

Friday is forecast to be sunny and calm statewide, with highs in the 30s and some lower 40s at low-elevation base areas.

Late Friday night a weak disturbance will brush northern Colorado and bring snow to the northern mountains, but only between 1-2 inches, mostly focused around the Park Range east of Steamboat.

Saturday and Sunday will continue to be sunny and calm in the southern mountains, however, lingering snow showers and clouds will be over the northern mountains both days and into Monday morning.

Long range: 

From Monday to Wednesday Colorado’s ski areas will be between storms. After sunset Wednesday night, the weather models have a storm system entering the northwestern mountains.

Snow showers remain active and spread across the northern half of the state — US Hwy 50 north to the Wyoming/Colorado state line — bringing snowfall to the northern and central mountains, including east of the Continental Divide (Echo and Eldora).

Early forecast modeling shows snow accumulations between 6-10 inches for both mountain zones, with the southern mountains receiving 1-2 inches on the northern edge (Silverton/Telluride).

More accurate details regarding accumulations, duration, and impacts on highway systems will come as more model runs as the dates are near.

Today’s 24-hour snow totals from Colorado resorts:

Arapahoe Basin – 0″

Aspen Highlands – 0″

Aspen Mountain – 0″

Beaver Creek – 0″

Breckenridge – 0″

Buttermilk – 0″

Cooper – 0″

Copper Mountain – 0″

Crested Butte – 0″

Echo Mountain – 0″, plus tubing

Eldora Mountain – 0″

Granby Ranch – 0″

Hesperus – Closed for the season

Howelsen Hill – 0″

Kendall Mountain – 0″

Keystone – 0″

Loveland – 0″

Monarch – 0″

Powderhorn – 0″

Purgatory – 0″

Silverton – 0″

Snowmass – 0″

Steamboat – 0″

Sunlight – 0″

Telluride – 0″

Vail – 0″

Winter Park – 0″

Wolf Creek – 0″