Colorado’s first major snowstorm of the season is still on track to produce rain and snow for two to three days, with potentially significant snow accumulations above 10,000 feet in the southwestern, southeastern and central mountains.

A boundary layer will flow south into the Four Corners region, pumping moisture north into Colorado and dropping temperatures for about 48 hours.

Another chance for more snow is around October 27-31.

To summarize:

Wednesday’s temperatures were still warm enough to keep snow accumulations limited, even with high-altitude snow showers affecting some Colorado peaks above 10,000 feet.

Snow showers were captured on Purgatory Mountain Resort’s webcam Wednesday afternoon as a weak disturbance moved through Colorado.

Further northwest, the high temperature in Telluride, Colorado was 55 according to AccuWeather.com.

Prediction:

Thursday will be a weather transition day around Colorado’s high country, with high-level clouds moving into the state ahead of the main storm on Friday.

Highs on Thursday will be in the upper 30s and lower 40s in mountain valleys below 30,000 feet and around freezing above 9,500 feet on the peaks.

The National Weather Service in Grand Junction issued a winter storm warning Thursday afternoon from 6 a.m. Friday to noon Sunday for large areas of southwestern Colorado, including Silverton, Telluride and Lake City.

Satellite images show the low-pressure storm moving into the Great Basin on Thursday, where it will sink south toward the Four Corners area through Friday and slowly work eastward through Sunday.

Snow will begin falling above 40,000 feet for the southwestern mountains Friday morning, according to the ECMWF IFS high-resolution model forecast. Temperatures do not appear to be cold enough to produce snow in the western mountains around Grand Mesa, but could reach freezing around sunrise Saturday morning.

Because little to no snow has fallen yet this season, the map above shows total snow depth and not total snowfall.

Greater snow accumulation is now expected in the central and southeastern mountains – including Monarch Pass, Lake and Southern Summit provinces, and west of Trinidad and Walsenberg, with Sawatch and Sangre de Cristo mountains receiving between 10-20 inches and 4, respectively -14 inches received. .

Monday’s forecasts indicated snow totals will be about half that of the southeastern mountains.

Snow accumulations in the San Juan Mountains remain between 1 and 6 meters, with locally higher amounts approaching 90 centimeters.

Long distance:

Next week Monday through Thursday brings more fall-like weather, with high temperatures returning to the 40s and 50s and more drought.

Editor’s Note: Once a few ski areas and resorts open for the season, the Whiteout Ski Area Conditions Map will be updated semi-daily with information on conditions, open trails and 24-hour snow totals.

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

Arapahoe Basin – Closed for season

Aspen Highlands – Closed for season

Aspen Mountain – Closed for season

Beaver Creek – Closed for season

Breckenridge – Closed for season

Buttermilk – Closed for season

Cooper – Closed for season

Copper Mountain – Closed for season

Crested Butte – Closed for season

Echo Mountain – Closed for season

Eldora Mountain – Closed for season

Granby Ranch – Closed for season

Hesperus – Closed for season

Howelsen Hill – Closed for season

Kendall Mountain – Closed for season

Keystone – Closed for season

Loveland – Closed for season

Monarch – Closed for season

Powderhorn – Closed for season

Purgatory – Closed for season

Silverton – Closed for season

Snowmass – Closed for season

Steamboat – Closed for season

Sunlight – Closed for season

Telluride – Closed for season

Vail – Closed for season

Winter Park – Closed during the season

Wolf Creek – Closed for season