Weeks after most of Colorado’s ski resorts shut down for the spring, a late-season snowstorm is expected to drop more than two feet of snow across the Rocky Mountains this week.
Snow this time of year is not unusual for the region, but it is unusual for this year, after a prolonged snow drought and record heat in March all but eliminated the critical snowpack across much of the American West. As of late last week, nearly 60 percent of Colorado was in an “extreme” or “exceptional” drought, according to the U.S. drought monitor.
“In terms of the liquid content, this will certainly be one of the bigger storms” the region has had this year, said Russell Danielson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder.
“It’s not going to be a drought buster by any means,” he added. “But it’s going to help significantly with the drought and the snowpack.”
The forecast details
Most of the snow across the Rocky Mountains is expected to fall on Tuesday and Wednesday, forecasters said, and some of it is likely to reach Denver.
Here’s how the forecast looked late Monday:
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The most likely scenario: Two feet of snow will fall in the mountains, especially in the higher elevations, and just a few inches will fall in Denver.
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Another possible scenario: There is at least some possibility that closer to an inch will fall in Denver and just over a foot will fall in the mountains.
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The least likely scenario: There is also a small possibility that close to three feet will fall in the mountains and closer to a foot will fall in Denver.
At least one ski resort in Colorado, Arapahoe Basin in Dillon, said it would postpone its closing weekend to take advantage of the new snow.
Since the turn of the century, Denver has had measurable snow in May in more years than not, Mr. Danielson said, usually averaging out to just over an inch.
Because many trees have already begun showing spring leaves, Mr. Danielson said he expected a lot of broken branches this week, as the wet snow would add too much weight for them to handle. Xcel Energy said it planned to have additional crews on standby to repair power outages.
And Mr. Danielson warned that highways might be especially treacherous. “This is still a pretty major travel concern,” he said.
Judson Jones is a meteorologist and reporter for The Times who forecasts and covers extreme weather.
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