As predicted, December featured above-normal precipitation and snowfall, continuing the 2015-16 ski season on a positive note.
We look for January to be active as well, with the El Niño-driven pattern bringing systems into the West Coast.
The El Niño has reached its peak strength, but the effects of the active pattern in the Southwest are expected to continue with slow-moving southern systems. We are actually thinking that Denver may be on the northern edge of some systems, with the heaviest snow falling across southern and southwestern Colorado, meaning more snow for most ski resorts.
January normals are steady with highs in the low to mid-40s and lows in the upper teens. Temperatures are likely to be back-and-forth in January, but it should end up averaging near normal in Denver and below normal in southern and western Colorado.
We expect close to the normal 7.1 inches of snowfall in Denver, but, again, above-normal snowfall over southern and western Colorado.
