Boulder County to see snow tonight, Tuesday; slower commutes expecte…

With families settling back into their normal schedules after the Thanksgiving weekend, Boulder County residents can expect a strong cold front tonight and the potential for several inches of snow as they begin their commutes Tuesday morning.

According to Victoria Chavez, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Boulder, snow will begin between midnight and 2 a.m. and taper off midday Tuesday, with the heaviest snow coming overnight. Residents can expect a high of 25 degrees Tuesday, and a low of 10 degrees Tuesday night.

“The Boulder area is looking at between four to five inches (for snowfall),” Chavez said. “People can expect cold temperatures pretty much through Wednesday.”

Longmont is expecting 1-3 inches of snow overnight, with an additional 1-3 inches possible on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Areas east of U.S. 287 are expected to receive 3-4 inches total from the storm.

Chavez said that morning and afternoon commutes will be slow, with the possibility of slick roads, as afternoon temperatures will remain below freezing.

“Commuters should expect icy conditions on their way home,” she said.

Not everyone is dreading in snowfall. Eldora Mountain Resort Marketing Director Sam Bass says he’s excited to see more snowpack as winter makes its way to Colorado.

“We’ve had a fantastic start to the (ski) season thanks to colder temperatures more suitable for snowmaking,” Bass said. “We’ve been able to open more terrain and opened a week ahead of schedule – (it’s) one of our strongest starts in the last 10 years.”

Eldora currently has a little over 36 inches of snowpack on the slopes and can expect to see around 3 inches of new snow as the snowstorm crosses the Front Range.

Bass said he hopes that this forecast will drive people to the slopes.

“Our patrons are, for the most part, pretty devoted skiers,” he said. “Snow is what they want — it’s what we want, too. I bet people are getting excited seeing the reports, and are maybe heading up tomorrow or even Wednesday.”

Regardless of the destination, drivers should plan accordingly and safely, according to both Chavez and Bass. For those heading to work, Chavez recommends driving slowly and having a kit prepared in case of emergency. For those leaning toward recreation, Bass recommends either taking the RTS NB bus straight to Eldora or carpooling with someone to take full advantage of high-occupancy vehicle parking that gets visitors closer to the mountain.

More information on how much snowfall to expect can be found at weather.gov/bou/winter. Information on how to commute in winter weather is at weather.gov/safety/winter.