Fresh pow: 6-8 inches of snowfall expected for Aspen mountains

Aspen’s mountains are expected to receive a fresh blanket of snow on Wednesday, with accumulations ranging from 6-8 inches and the possibility of up to 10 inches at the highest elevations, according to the National Weather Service.

Snowfall is expected to continue through Wednesday morning before tapering off in the afternoon, said Brianna Bealo, National Weather Service meteorologist in Grand Junction.

 “It looks like you’ll be seeing snow through Wednesday morning and maybe some showers in the afternoon until things start to calm down a bit,” Bealo said. “We have 4 inches in town by tomorrow afternoon.”

Another system is set to arrive Thursday into Friday. 

“We will have a ridge system move in Thursday, and a clipper system for Friday,” Bealo said. “We’re not looking at a ton of precipitation, but maybe an inch or two in town, and two to three inches up high.”

A third system is expected from Saturday into Sunday, with snowfall totals similar to what Aspen will see from the Thursday-Friday system.

“March is normally the wettest month for precipitation for the mountains,” Bealo noted. 

While Aspen is currently classified as “abnormally dry” in the most recent drought monitor update, she explained that it is not yet an official drought designation. 

“If we receive a little less moisture, Aspen could be in a D-1 drought. The good news is that with a little more moisture, we will be considered drought-free,” she said.

Despite the dry classification, the mountain snowpack remains solid, standing at 97% of the seasonal average. 

“Aspen is where it should be for this time of year,” Bealo said.