Colorado Weather: More snow in the high country for the final week of the year

A storm track favorable for mountain snow and not much more than wind in the metro area is setting up for the week ahead.

Christmas Day snow was limited to the high country but there was still 2 inches of snow on the ground from last week on Sunday morning which was enough to quality the day as a white Christmas. It was the first such Christmas since 2017 in Denver (it generally takes at least 1 inch of snow on the ground for December 25 to be declared a white Christmas)

After some lingering snow in the mountains Sunday night and Monday morning, most of Colorado will be relatively mild and dry from Monday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon. In Denver, temperatures will be near 50 degrees Monday afternoon and closer to 60 degrees on Tuesday afternoon. Some areas in southeast Colorado could even reach 70 degrees on Tuesday!

Then the weather changes as a quick moving storm reaches the mountains by Tuesday night and continues thorough Wednesday night. Impressive snow is likely especially for the mountains west of Vail Pass, Monarch Pass, and Wolf Creek Pass. Mountains farther east will not get as much snow.

For Denver and the Front Range, light precipitation is possible from late Wednesday through very early Thursday morning. At this time, most of the moisture is expected to be rain instead of snow for the metro area. And if any snow manages to reach the urban corridor, no accumulation is expected.

After the system passes, temperatures will be colder including in the Denver metro area for Thursday and Friday. Attention will then turn to another winter storm over the weekend promising more snow for the mountains starting Saturday. Limited snow may reach Denver and the Front Range Saturday night into Sunday but any accumulation on New Years Day is expected to be minor at lower elevations.