With a wave of snow heading toward Colorado, the National Weather Service has released a “snowfall forecast” map to help Centennial State residents prepare for the upcoming winter wave.
Their map captures the snowfall forecast from 6am Saturday to 6pm Sunday and shows that during this period, under the “most likely” scenario (see below), up to 30cm of snow could fall at the highest points of the Continental Divide. Except for the highest peaks, snow depths in the mountains are likely to be around 15cm, with up to 7.5cm possible in some lower mountain valleys.
Below you will find a map with this forecast:
Image: National Weather Service.
This weather will likely have the greatest impact on those planning to climb a 4,000-meter peak this weekend, including some participants in the annual Pikes Peak climb and marathon.
As for this world-famous race, there is some good news regarding the latest weather forecast. First, it looks like the 1,700 or so runners on the climb will have pretty good weather on Saturday, aside from a few clouds. And second, it looks like the original reports that Mountain-Forecast.com said Pikes Peak could see 21 inches of snow Saturday night have changed quite a bit. Mountain Forecast now says Pikes Peak is expected to see about 7 inches of snow Saturday night, and the National Weather Service is predicting about the same potential.
Snow of this magnitude will likely impact the Pikes Peak Marathon, which starts at 7 a.m. Sunday morning and runs 21 miles to the summit before heading back to Manitou Springs—not to mention that temperatures at the summit are expected to be below -6 degrees all day. However, the impact will likely be much less than if the forecast of 21 inches of snow comes true. About 800 runners are taking part in this race, and while they will need to wear a waterproof jacket with a hood, many of them may also consider a shoe traction device because of the coming snow.
For further weather updates, visit the National Weather Service website.
STAY INFORMED: Get free Colorado news with our daily newsletter (click here)
