After a sunny, Spring-like weekend in Colorado unsettled weather moves back into the forecast

Monday will start on a mild-mannered note, and while breezy, most of the afternoon will be on the nicer side across Colorado. High temperatures will again climb into the upper 50s to low 60s with a mix of sun and clouds. But don't let that mild start to the day fool you, changes are moving in late Monday.

Colorado's alert map is littered with color, indicating the changes. This storm system will move across the state late Monday through Tuesday, bringing heavy snow and strong winds to the high country and eastern plains.

For most of the high country, Winter Weather Advisories are in place (in the purple). Those mountain areas could see around 4-8" of snow, with winds gusting around 45 mph.

For the Front Range mountains, Winter Storm Warnings (in the pink) are in effect from Monday evening to Tuesday evening. There, 2-14" of snow is expected, with some potential localized higher totals. Winds will also be strong through the Front Range mountains, so travel will be tough at times, especially early Tuesday morning.

The Palmer Divide is also under a Winter Storm Warning from Monday evening to Tuesday as 4-10" of snow is possible there, with some localized higher totals possible.

Heading into the plains, the snow totals forecast get a little trickier, but wind will be quite strong in the plains through Tuesday. Blizzard Warnings (in the red) are in place for the areas anticipating snow and wind that could gusts up to 70 mph. Even with lower snow totals, blizzard conditions can be expected as strong winds remain.

Elsewhere in Eastern Colorado Winter Storm Watches (in the blue) are in place. That is where forecast confidence is on the lower side, but snow and strong wind are expected in those areas.

Because of the track and nature of the winds, snow totals for the Denver metro area and north along the I25 corridor are going to be on the lighter side. Most metro neighborhoods can expect to see a trace to 3" of snow.

Snow will begin to fall in the mountains this afternoon, while most of the lower elevations stay dry until around 4 PM. That is when rain and storm chances increase for the Denver metro area.

By early Tuesday morning, most of the rain will transition into a heavy wet snow that will fall through throughout Tuesday morning.

The track of this system, as well as the timing of the rain to snow for Eastern Colorado, will all determine how much snow the plains will see.

Snow will wrap up by the early afternoon, but wind will stay strong throughout the day on Tuesday.

High Wind Watches and warnings are in place for Eastern and Northern Colorado where the strongest winds are expected.