We have a situation -
No new snow. Firm conditions. Bluebird skies.
So what’s a meteorologist going to do? Instead of chasing powder, I’m now turning into a tech guy and reviewing snow-related iPhone apps. Oh, and I’m also looking far ahead, when we’ll have good, snowy news!
Weather Pattern Changes
Right now, it’s sunny skies statewide. Later this week, we’ll get some snow, but the storm will split before it crosses the state (which means less snow). By early next week, the entire country’s weather pattern should be changing and the storm track will come right from the Pacific Ocean into Colorado (which means more snow). Stay tuned!
Forecast
- Tuesday: Dry, mostly sunny. Similar to Monday’s weather.
- Wednesday: Increasing clouds through the day, but still dry. Light snow in the afternoon for western CO.
- Thursday: Snow, off-and-on, over much of the state. Most of the snow will stay light to moderate, resulting in only a few inches, maybe up to 6″. A forecast snow map is below.
- Friday: Clearing out and returning to our “normal”, sunny and dry weather. Could be a good morning to take some softer turns, though it most likely will NOT be a “call-in-sick” powder morning.
- Saturday: Partly sunny and dry. Still relatively mild (mountain highs in the upper 20s and 30s).
- Sunday: Partly sunny and dry. Still relatively mild (mountain highs in the upper 20s and 30s)
Move the map or zoom in for a better look. Click on the shaded areas of the map for exact snow amounts. Also, click on the mountains to see locations of each resort.
View CPF: Snow Forecast, January 14, 2010 in a larger map
iPhone App Reviews
Bluebird day, no winds, warm temperatures, and no fresh snow all add up to some time to play with the iPhone on the slopes. The first app I tried out was the Realski [iTunes link] augmented reality trail map. This app is geared for people who have an aversion to maps and wish that directional signs could just “pop up” when they look around a resort. Really, it’s pretty cool:
These three images are taken from the same spot on lower Born Free on Vail. Notice the “sensitivity” slider on the bottom. The “+” sige captures all nearby features, where as the “-” sign only captures the closest features. In all of my test cases, putting the sensitivity on the “-” (bottom image) captured no nearby features, while moving the ball toward the middle or right side captured most of the nearby trails of interest. The app is “cool”, though not that useful for me because I like maps. For others that don’t like maps, this app might be their next best friend. The download is free as are the first (company selected) five maps. After that, each new resort is $0.99 – very reasonable considering that is less than the cost of a lunchtime candybar (though about 10 times the cost of a lunchtime Ramen Noodle packet). I found the accuracy to be “pretty good”, meaning that I wouldn’t necessarily bet my life on it, but for the first augmented reality ski app – it’s a great start.
The second app I tried was more for me – a map. iTrailMap is free and allows you to download scanned images of trail maps, while iTrailMap3D is $4.99 and allows you to download 3D renderings of ski areas and locate yourself on the map using GPS.
The image above is iTrailMap. The scanned image is OK, though far from exceptional. For a free app, though, I’ll take it. No GPS found here…that comes with iTrailMap3D.
This map is iTrailMap3D. The app allows you to zoom and move/spin the map with your fingers, which is really “neat”, though of questionable utility. I like the GPS locater (shown here with a red arrow), and the app allows you to track your vertical feet and horizontal distance skied. Again, pretty “neat”. But there are no trail or lift names shown on the map, so it can’t really be used for navigation unless you know the mountain pretty well and just need a quick GPS checkup.
I am a map guy, so my favorite and most useful app was iTrailMap. However, grab iTrailMap3D if you like to track your runs, or pickup RealSki if you hate traditional maps and need something else to help navigate the slopes.
Snow will fall from the sky very soon…
Great website, just came across this. Heading to Breckenridge tomorrow for the weekend. Going to miss the heavies, but a little buffering would be niiice.
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Joel, great website and forecasting, you’ve been dead nuts on all season. Keep up the good work. We’re headed to Keystone/Breck the 18th-24th (from Chicago), really hoping that pattern change you’re predicting catches us while we’re there. *fingers crossed*
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I love you joel!
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ps. i will love you more if it snows 12″ friday, not 6″
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Joel, that storm track split you’re talking about, will it benefit the outlying mountains in the north and south around the state? I’m trying to fit in another San Juan/Taos trip or maybe a visit to the Boat. If it’s way north, time to consider Jackson, hey who doesn’t love Alta on a year like this? Abasin is sporting a 23″ base. No advanced terrain open, the powder is not here…
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Mike – you’ll have a better chance for snow in Breck from the 18th-24th than you would if you were here now, so your timing is good. We’ll see how the storms unfold…
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Prodigal Sun – south looks better than north for next week. If you’re itching to get to Taos, watch the forecast for later next week into next weekend. Alta and our northern mountains may have more snow after the 24th through the end of January.
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Hello Joel,
I like ur forecasts. Pretty much been on the money this season. glad to hear we are finally back on the storm track. As far as iPhone apps I have 2 that you should try.
1 is “clinometer”. It’s a pretty accurate slopemeter. I have used it on a few slopes I’ve tested and it’s been right on.
The 2nd is motionx gps. Activates the gps sensors in ur iPhone. Uses them to find your location. You can track backcountry routes accurately in areas with no service. The light version only let’s u track one route and save it but the full version I think is only 3 bucks.
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Hi Joel,
Thanks for your hard work. You website has become a “go-to” resource for my ski planning.
I’ve got a Steamboat/Northern Utah trip coming up in early February. Can you comment on the accuracy of long term forecasts or the likelihood of more productive storms in the near future?
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Joel – That storm split you mention….what does it say about the Jets-Chargers game on Sunday?
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Joel – love your site – between you and NOAA we definitely get a more accurate picture than 9news
so this storm split for next week – do you see an Upslope in it?? ie. snow for the front range and Eldora…
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Rb – thanks for mentioning the Clinometer App. I have it and also enjoy its easy of use and accuracy (tested it side-by-side with a normal inclinometer). Also, I have the Lite version of MotionX GPS and can’t argue with its features for a free app!
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SkiQ – thanks for checking in! Conditions in northern CO and Utah should be better in Feb then they are now, mostly because I doubt our dry spell will last another three weeks. The weather pattern usually changes every few weeks, and the computer models are hinting at this change by later in January. As for predictions, I mention specifics about snowfall totals only 3-4 days ahead of a storm, and am comfortable talking about the general pattern maybe 7-10 days in advance. Beyond that, I don’t put much stock in the computer models, but thinking of the atmosphere in very large generalities up to 2-3 weeks out is OK, and in this case it seems reasonable to think that there will be more snow in the west in the coming weeks (to balance our dry weather now).
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KD – thanks for the compliment. The splitting storm for THIS week will have WEAK upslope…the wind will just be a few miles per hour, so not a lot of snow (maybe a bit more in the southern front range). For the storms next week, upslope flow for the front range and eastern mountains could be much stronger
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Last year i remember a long, warm dry spell in febuary(max 47 deg F at the summit). The next week we were skiing thigh deep pow. Do you think this could be a like pattern? Because march skiing last year was sick! Oh yeah, are you a skier or a snowboarder? Keep up the good work!!
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skibum – the weather can change quickly, so there could indeed be some deep snow next week, especially for the southern 1/2 of the state. I am mainly a skied, but dabbled in snowboarding a few times.
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Joel,
We’ve got a cat trip planned for Steamboat next Sat. (23rd) any chance the Buff pass area is going to receive any new snow out of the storms that are forecasted for next week?
Tony
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Tony Clapp – some of next week’s snow should hit Buff Pass, though the most snow should be down in the San Juans. Stay tuned…more details coming. At least the Tower Snotel site has the most snow in the state…
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