Felt like you were digging yourself out of a foot or more of snow this morning?
You're correct! Good job. (On the guessing and on the digging.)
The pre-Thanksgiving snowstorm that hit the mountains and the Front Range on Tuesday lived up to the hype, dumping about a foot of snow or more in most areas.
"This storm this week has been the biggest storm thus far this year," state climatologist Ross Schumacher said.
It even set some records.
It was the biggest November snowstorm for Denver since 1994, and the snowiest day in the city in more than three years, according to WeatherNation TV.
Tuesday also marked the third snowiest day ever in Boulder, and the second snowiest November day in Fort Collins, according to the Colorado Climate Center.
Here are the numbers:
- Denver: 11"
- Boulder: 22"
- Fort Collins: 16"
- Colorado Springs: 8-11"
- Greeley: 10"
- JeffCo: 9" in Lakewood up to 30" in the mountains
- DougCo: An average of 14" or so across the county
See more snow totals in detail from the National Weather Service and NOAA here.
Not only was there a lot of snow, it was really wet. That's good news after a dry summer.
"A lot of places saw well over an inch of liquid in that snow, which is essentially enough moisture to carry us through for pretty much the whole winter here along the Front Range," Schumacher said. " That certainly helps to moisten things up."
For now, Tuesday's storm was the last one due in awhile for the Front Range.
"It doesn't look like we have any more big storms on the immediate horizon for the Front Range," Schumacher said.
But on the other side of the state, forecasts say another big storm is coming for Western Colorado.
The southwestern corner of the state will be hit especially hard in the storm, according to the National Weather Service. Telluride could see 13 inches of snow, Pagosa Springs 10 inches and Durango 6 inches. The Eastern Uinta and San Juan mountains could be buried in up to 4 feet, and NWS warns "travel could be very difficult to impossible."
Snow should arrive Wednesday night and continue through Saturday.
While the weather will hurt Thanksgiving weekend travel plans, Schumarcher said the heavy snow is welcome after a "very dry October" and "warm and dry November" in southwestern Colorado.
"That will certainly give a great boost to the snow pack there that's had a little bit of a rougher start," Schumacher said.
