After receiving a few inches of snow in the metro area on Christmas Day (3.6 in Thornton), another round is on the way and it has the potential to be pretty bad. At 4:56am this morning, the National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Watch for the entire Front Range.
It is pretty unusual for them to issue a warning this far in advance unless they are confident it is going to hit and hit pretty hard. 4 – 8 inches are currently predicted with the potential for locally heaver amounts. With as cold as it has been and is expected to stay for the next few days, this could get ugly. Please plan your travel accordingly and be safe out there!
A few Christmas snowfall notes, from the National Weather Service:
It appears that there may be a new daily snowfall for Denver for Christmas Day. The data in the link below extends back to 1900. The 2.4 inches recorded today at 6 AM will beat the 1.7 inches set in 1912. After dusting off some old records here at the National Weather Service office we discovered that 6.2 inches of snowfall was recorded on December 25, 1894. We also found that prior to 1905 snowfall was recorded from 8 PM to 8 PM. From Jan 1905 to May 1999 snowfall data was from midnight to midnight. Since May 1999, snowfall data has been recorded from 6 AM to 6 AM. The snow in 1894 began around 8 PM on the 24th and ended around 2 PM on the 25th. The data for December 25, 2007 will show 2.4 inches recorded at 6 AM. The remainder of the snow that fell today will be reflected on the data for the December 26. It will be for the period from 6 AM on the 25th to 6 AM on the 26th. So did we have a record or not? It all depends on how you interpret the data. No matter how you look at it, Christmas day 2007 will be memorable. Click here to check the Christmas day statistics for snowfall from 1900 to 2006.
On a related note… When you look at the measurements for snowfall that we make here at ThorntonWeather.com, those are typically total accumulations for the day we actually received the snow, up until 9:00pm or so. The National Weather Service standard of 6:00am to 6:00am measurements is fine but are not what most folks expect. As mentioned above, the 6:00am measurements from yesterday showed 2.4 inches of snow in Denver but obviously more than that fell throughout the day. We feel that providing a total measurement for the day the snow actually feel is more in line with what folks expect and think of.
As the kids wake up early this morning to see what Santa left them, we are seeing a bit of a nasty storm system move across the area. The National Weather Service has issued a Snow and Blowing Snow Advisory that will remain in effect until 5:00pm Christmas Day. Forecast models are a bit unclear as to how much snow we can expect – anywhere from one to five inches depending on which models we look at. The biggest problem will be the wind blowing things around and causing travel issues for those visiting folks on the holiday. Be sure to be safe and as always, stay tuned to ThorntonWeather.com for the latest.
An interesting article from USA Today today discusses the fact that despite the snow we have recently enjoyed, we can’t rule out drought in 2008. In part it says:
Things are finally starting to look nice for us. The recent series of storms is gone for us (and now wreaking havoc on the midwest) and we should be in for a nice week. Temperatures should be in the mid to upper 40’s with clear and sunny skies all week. Friday and heading into Saturday though could bring a change. Current forecast models (below) show a chance for snowfall during that time period but of course this far out it is hard to say for sure. Check back often for the latest! 
Because of the delay, we can expect light snow showers throughout the day, possibly making for a messy commute home. Roads could be slick so be careful out there. The snow will continue till the evening and we can expect between one and three inches total accumulation.
Here it comes again but this time won’t be as bad as the last two. This storm should move pretty quickly through the area tonight and into tomorrow morning. Current indications are we can expect between 1 and 4 inches of the white stuff. A lot of folks are already tired of the snow but remember that while the mountains have had a ton of snow, here on the Front Range we are still a good ways below normal for precipitation!
Unfortunately, historical trends don’t give us too good of a chance but there is always hope – remember last year? 
Another round of snow moved into the metro area last night making for pretty messy conditions. As of 6:00 this morning we have recorded 2.1″ of fresh snow in Thornton with more on the way. You can expect the white stuff to continue falling throughout the day with additional accumulations of 1″ to 3″.This of course is the second storm in less than a week to bring snow to us. It is hard to complain considering how dry we have been in recent weeks. The cause for the moisture? Two factors have helped:
December is normally only our 4th snowiest month so we may not get a lot of relief. Current 30-day forecasts expect near normal temps but slightly below normal precipition. You can read more in our 