After about 36 hours of steady light to moderate snowfall, we now have 10″ of snow on the ground in Greeley. Spotter reports of 10″ to 13″ have been common in the area. The big winners on this storm were Pinecliffe with 43.8″ and Black Hawk with 40″. The Front Range foothills and southwest Denver got the highest snowfalls with this storm due to a persistent terrain induced lift (upslope flow). Here in Greeley, we ended up getting snowfall totals within the lower end of our forecast range (of 10″-18″). We actually got a decent amount given a persistent low-level north to north-northwest wind. Here in Greeley, a N-NNW wind direction is associated with downsloping off of the Cheyenne Ridge and the mountains to our northwest, which tends to dry out the lower levels and reduce snowfall totals. Our optimal wind direction for upsloping and heavy snow is from the east to northeast.
Currently, weather radar imagery shows light to moderate snowfall in the area. However, downsloping and drying flow is winning out and the snow is not making it to the ground any longer. It’s currently 28 degrees with a 19 dewpoint and winds are from the northwest at 25kt gusting to 33kt.
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