The last two winter storms in a series of four are making their way into Colorado, the first, mid-next week, the second, late-week and into the weekend.

Total snow accumulations from the two storms range between 12-40 inches, with a sunny weekend thrown in between.

Deep powder days ahead of St. Patrick’s Day Monday are more than likely and will be skied and ridden across all three mountain zones and on multiple days.

Recap:

Snow fell nearly all of Thursday after a soft powder day started the day for first chairs.

Storm 2 was and will finish delivering any left-over snowy payload by Saturday morning, with new snow accumulations between 1-4 inches on top of the 2-12 inches that fell on Thursday for Friday’s first chairs.

Colorado’s snowpack:

Colorado’s snowpack is slowly pressing upward toward 100% as more snows fall in March.

As of Friday’s date, the state’s snowpack is 90% of median average, with 12.1 inches of snow water equivalent, only 1.3 inches below the median average for today’s date of 13.4 inches.

Forecast:

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday are forecast to be sunny and calm, with highs in the 20s on Saturday and light snow showers in the southern mountains, and 30s on Sunday and Monday. Some early morning snow showers linger in the southern mountains, otherwise, no noticeable snow accumulation should fall.

Storm 3 – Tuesday late morning through Wednesday afternoon a fast moving disturbance brushes storm energy across the northern and central mountains delivering a light amount of snow, more than likely only between 2-4 inches, and between a trace-2 inches in the southern mountains.

Previous forecasts had more snow falling from this storm, but after more model runs, the forecast is calling for about half the amount to accumulate.

Total accumulations for the northern mountains from Friday to Wednesday are between 3-11 inches, in the central mountains between 4-15 inches, and the southern mountains between 3-19 inches.

Storm 4 – The last storm ramps up Thursday late morning, starting in the southern and western mountains, then spreading eastward in bands on southwest winds.

Snow showers will be heaviest on Thursday in western Colorado, intensifying into central Colorado overnight Friday and continuing into the morning of  Sunday, March 16.

Potential snowfall totals by Sunday, March 16 last chairs in the northern mountains are forecast to be between 10-20 inches, in the central mountains between 6-24 inches (highest totals in the West Elk and Elk mountains), and in the southern mountains between 8-26 inches (highest totals in the northern San Juan Mountains around Silverton and Telluride).

Long-term forecast:

From Monday, March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day) to Tuesday, March 18, the state’s slopes should be between storms ahead of a new wave of energy starting later March 18 night/overnight Wednesday, March 19.

Snow is forecast to develop across all three mountain zones and last through Thursday, March 20 night. More details about this storm will be known as more models’ runs are performed, however, snow is trending toward happening heading into the second half of March.

Today’s 24-hour snow totals for Colorado ski resorts:

Arapahoe Basin – 3″

Aspen Highlands – 12″

Aspen Mountain – 4″

Beaver Creek – 4″

Breckenridge – 6″

Buttermilk – 4″

Cooper – 6″

Copper Mountain – 3″

Crested Butte – 5″

Echo Mountain – 0″

Eldora Mountain – 2″

Granby Ranch – 0″

Hesperus – Closed for the season

Howelsen Hill – 2″

Kendall Mountain – 8″

Keystone – 0″

Loveland – 4″

Monarch – 3″

Powderhorn – 4″

Purgatory – 10″

Silverton – 9″

Snowmass – 8″

Steamboat – 3″

Sunlight – 11″

Telluride – 6″

Vail – 3″

Winter Park – 3″

Wolf Creek – 10″