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Warm start to 2017-18 ski season in Steamboat Springs

Steamboat Resort's snowsports school was open and lessons were underway Nov. 22. With the gondola opening Thanksgiving Day, holiday crowds will disperse across more terrain, creating more room for lessons at the base of the mountain.
Tom Ross

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — It is late November, but it will likely feel like spring skiing conditions for the rest of the week at Steamboat Ski Area.

Skies were overcast Wednesday for Opening Day, but skiers were working up a sweat as they carved through soft machine-made snow.

Even drier and warmer air is expected to move into the area, and ski area snowmakers will be challenged as low, overnight temperatures flirt near the freezing point.



On Sunday, daytime temperatures are expected to approach 60 degrees.

According to Steamboat meteorologist Mike Weissbluth, who runs snowalarm.com, mostly sunny skies are expected for Thanksgiving Day.



The National Weather Service in Grand Junction was calling for a high temperature of 54 degrees.

A quick-moving storm is expected to graze northern Colorado on Friday, bringing the possibility of rain in the Yampa Valley and snow showers at higher elevations.

“Drier and warmer air follows the small storm for Saturday as skies turn sunnier through the day,” Weissbluth said. “Sunday should be even warmer and sunnier than Saturday ahead of our next weather-maker currently timed for around Monday.”

Much cooler weather is expected next week along with a storm Monday or Tuesday.

It is too early to predict how much snow the storm will bring, and computer models are presenting different scenarios.

“Both models indicated a short break in our weather around Thursday before possibly turning unsettled again around the following weekend,” Weissbluth said.

To reach Matt Stensland, call 970-871-4247, email mstensland@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @SBTStensland.


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