Denver Weather: Warmest weather in over four months on the way, then quickly back to winter

Colorado's Front Range will be treated to a taste of spring this week with 70 degrees possible Wednesday. Then sharply colder weather quickly returns.

The warming trend starts on Monday with high temperatures the the 50s around Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins. That is about normal for the middle of March but at least 10 degrees warmer than most areas were on Sunday.

Then 60s will arrive on Tuesday which could be the warmest day of the year so far in some neighborhoods. But that is more likely to happen on Wednesday when temperatures soar to around 70 degrees in Denver and upper 60s in northern Colorado. The last time Denver reached the 70s was in early November so it's been more than four months. The record for Wednesday, set on March 15, 2015 is 79 degrees so while it will be warm, it will not be record heat.

Then much colder weather will quickly return starting Wednesday evening. High temperatures on Thursday will be at least 30 degrees colder than Wednesday and limited snow is possible in the metro area. The precipitation will start as a mix of rain and snow Wednesday night before changing into all snow by Thursday morning. At this time, no more than 1-2 inches of accumulation is expected in the metro area. And even in the mountains, most areas north of Highway 50 will likely get no more than 6 inches of snow. Higher amounts will be possible across Colorado's southern mountains. But it will be nothing like the storm that hit the state this past weekend.

And once the cooler weather arrives on Thursday, temperatures are expected to stay below normal for at least 5-7 days. Spring officially starts next Monday but it will hardly feel like it.