Unlike the first two weeks of February, the second half of the month will bring some snow to Colorado — not enough to carry the state’s snowpack out of record-low territory for this time of year, but some.

After a warm and sunny weekend, Colorado’s northern and central mountains will be transitioning into a stormier period beginning Tuesday as the western U.S. transitions to a period of “general storminess,” as OpenSnow calls it.

First storm: Tuesday through Thursday

Colorado’s mountains will likely start off with some snowflakes from Tuesday to Thursday, according to a Monday OpenSnow report, with temperatures in the 40s and snow totals on the lower side. Snowfall could start as early as Monday night near Steamboat Springs and over the far northern mountains.

Steadier snow won’t arrive for the rest of Colorado’s northern and central mountains until Wednesday night, with scattered snow showers during the day. As snow continues through most of Thursday, OpenSnow reports that snow totals will likely be in the 3-8 inch range across ski resorts.

“The storm will be warm, so the snow will likely be thicker and denser, which will be helpful to (somewhat) cover a crusty base,” OpenSnow Founding Meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote in the report.

The snow elevation will be around 7,000 feet, meaning that while most ski areas will see snow, lower valley areas like Glenwood Springs will be on the rainier side.

According to OpenSnow Meteorologist Sam Collentine, drivers on I-70 could see some travel impacts from Wednesday evening through midday Thursday, with the possibility of wet, icy and snow-packed road surfaces.

Second Storm: Friday and Saturday

The second storm of the week will be more concentrated in Colorado’s southern mountains, with the potential for some flakes to spread into the central mountains.

Snowfall will begin on Friday with steadier snow during the evening. Accumulation will trail off by Saturday morning. OpenSnow predicts snow totals around 4-8 inches for the second storm, with less or no snow for most of the central and northern mountains.

More snow throughout February

OpenSnow is predicting more snow for Colorado next week, somewhere in the 5-20 inch range depending on location, though it will be less than other states along the West Coast where the storm will be concentrated.

The highest probability for snow next week will be around Tuesday, Feb. 17, and between Thursday and Monday, when parts of the West Coast storm will track east across Colorado.

“While I almost always want Colorado to get the most snow, in a lean season like this one, I suppose we’re fortunate to have any snow in the forecast,” Gratz wrote.

Next week’s temperatures will also cool down, landing in the teens and 20s for the mountains.

Any hope for the snowpack?

The snow telemetry system has had Colorado’s snowpack sitting at the zero percentile since mid January, meaning it’s the lowest on record for this time of year when compared to data from 1991 to 2020.

The next two weeks of mild snow could improve the quality of Colorado’s snow surface, though the snowpack “will still likely be much lower than the historical median for late February,” according to OpenSnow.

“We’ll catch up a bit during the next two weeks, but I do not see a mid-February miracle that will get us anywhere close to the median,” Gratz wrote on Sunday.