While most of December was fairly dry in Colorado, it looks like that trend will buck in the final week of the year.

National Weather Service maps show up to 18 inches of snow could fall on the Park Range east of Steamboat by 5 a.m. Friday morning. If their “top” 10 percent probability prediction is correct, the total will increase to 24 inches.

While most of the state won’t see much snow fall over the next 24 hours, it looks like winter weather could bring fresh powder to slopes across the state next week. OpenSnow’s Joel Gratz predicts double-digit totals for most of the state’s ski areas over the next five days.

Winter sports enthusiasts across the state are probably hoping this late-season snowfall will help turn the season around. While the statewide snowpack was about 138 percent of normal at the end of November, that number has dropped to just 84 percent by December 26th. One of the largest gaps between normal and current snowpack levels is in the Steamboat Springs area, with this river basin receiving only 75 percent of what is typical at this point in the year. Steamboat Resort is reporting a total of 73 inches of snow so far this season, far less than the numerous resorts that have already surpassed the 100-inch mark. Big snowfalls this week would be huge for the resort, as only 59 percent of the resort’s property was open at last report.

For more forecast information about this weather, visit the National Weather Service website.