Winter Storm Recap: The Boom and Bust of Our Forecast

It's fair to say that our first "real" snow storm of the season is now in the books, despite our Weather5280 station seeing some of the lowest totals in the area. We recorded 1.9" of snow at our station in central Denver, while officially Denver (DIA) recorded 2.3" from this storm.

Snowfall totals across the region were all over the place as we mentioned several times leading up to the event that they would be, and reiterated last night on the Live Blog. For the most part, winds actually cooperated better than anticipated, and much of the lower-end snowfall totals were more-so related to temperature issues.

For central Denver we logged anywhere from 1 - 3", fitting nicely in our forecast of 1 - 4", with upwards of 3" east of I-25 in our 2 - 4" range. For the surrounding areas, reports from under 2" in Boulder, to upwards of 6" in places like Broomfield and Westminster were reported. Those higher totals on the north end I would consider our biggest bust, with the southern metro good snowfall totals not coming as much of a surprise.

Here are a few totals from the National Weather Service, along with our forecast for each location:

  • Denver International Airport: Total: 2.3", Forecast: 2 - 4"
  • Denver (weather5280 station): Total: 1.9", forecast: 1 - 4"
  • Longmont: Total: 2.2", Forecast: 1 - 4"
  • 1mi N Loveland: Total: 1.3", Forecast: 1 - 4"
  • 1mi WSW Broomfield: Total 7.3", forecast: 1 - 4", Bust!
  • 5mi ENE Denver: Total: 4.7", Forecast: 2 - 6"
  • 5mi WNW Castle Rock: Total 5.2", Forecast: 2 - 5", (mini Bust!)
  • Ken Caryl: Total 6.2", Forecast: 2 - 4", Bust!
  • Genesee: Total: 4.0", Forecast: 1 - 4"
  • 4mi E Fort Collins: Total 1.9", Forecast: 1 - 4"
  • 3mi WSW Conifer: Total: 10.0", Forecast: 3 - 8", Bust!
  • 2mi S Parker: Total: 5.8", Forecast: 2 - 6"+
  • Glendale: Total: 4.0", Forecast: 2 - 4"

I've tried to pull totals from across the region and not bias it toward our forecast. Again, the biggest issues we had were with the heavier totals on the north side of town (Broomfield, Thornton), otherwise we're pretty happy with the forecast overall. Have more totals to add? Images of the snow? Share in the comments below! We LOVE all the reports we've received so far.

We've cleared out quickly behind this fast moving system, but the chilly temps will linger. Highs topped in the 40s today and should again Thursday, with overnight lows in the 20s for Denver, and teens and single digits for the high country. Here's a look at the HRRR 2 meter temperature by 5am tomorrow morning for the region:

Now we start to look toward next week...