Colorado Weather: Storm Buries The Mountains And More Snow Is Coming

DENVER (CBS4) - A storm responsible for causing temperatures to drop at least 25 degrees in the Denver metro area has also brought well over a foot of snow to many mountain areas in Colorado. Much of Douglas County also reported measurable snow overnight.

Areas near the base of the foothills in Douglas County like Perry Park saw the most snow along the Front Range. Perry Park reported 9 inches of snow while nearby Castle Rock had 3 inches, Franktown received 4 inches and Highlands Ranch had about 1 inch. No measurable snow fell in Denver.

Meanwhile, the mountains have seen considerable amounts of snow since Wednesday afternoon including 10 to 20 inches at most ski areas in Colorado. As of 6 a.m. on Thursday, Snowmass was leading the state with 20 inches.

Other ski areas like Winter Park, Beaver Creek, Vail, Breckenridge, and Ski Cooper had at least a foot of fresh snow.

The mountains mainly north of Interstate 70 will continues to get snow on Thursday followed by snow for most of the mountains in Colorado on Friday into Saturday morning. Additional accumulation around Steamboat could reach 14 inches meaning grand totals from Wednesday through Saturday could approach 30 inches for some of Colorado's northern mountains.

As a result of all the snow, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center has issued an Avalanche Warning for most of the central mountains through 7 a.m. Friday. The warming includes the higher terrain of Chaffee, Gunnison, Pitkin, Eagle, Summit, Park, Grand, Gilpin, and Clear Creek Counties. Skiers and snowboarders are strongly encouraged to stay out of the back country through at least Friday morning.

The next chance for any snow in the Denver metro area will wait until Monday when flurries or light snow showers are possible. At this time, it appears most of the snow in Colorado on Monday will be in the mountains and no accumulating snow is expected in the Denver metro area.