Denver Weather: Wet Weekend Ahead With First Alert Weather Days For Saturday And Sunday

DENVER (CBS4) - A storm taking aim at Colorado for the upcoming weekend will bring much cooler temperatures, rain, and snow to most of the state. For Denver and the Front Range, it will be rain Friday night, slushy snow on Saturday, and accumulating snow on Sunday.

At this time, snow totals in the Denver metro area are expected to range from 1-4 inches with most most of the accumulation coming Saturday night into Sunday. But because the most of the weekend will be very cool and wet, the CBS4 Weather Team has issued a First Alert Weather Day for both Saturday and Sunday.

The first sign of change will arrive Friday evening when a cold front moves over Denver and the Front Range. The front will cause rain to develop Friday night because temperatures will remain far too warm for snow at lower elevations. However it will be plenty cold for snow in the mountains Friday night.

There are two storm systems behind the front that will gradually move over the Rocky Mountain region through the weekend. The first storm doesn't have much cold air and therefore while snow will fall in the mountains on Saturday, the Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins areas will get mainly rain or a rain/snow mix that produces slush on some roads.

Then the second storm, which is colder, will arrive by Saturday night. That storm will bring more snow to the mountains and should bring at least minor snow accumulation to most of the urban corridor by Sunday morning. At this time, most areas around Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins are not expected to get more than 1-4 inches of snow.

In the mountains, snow accumulation will be much higher. Winter driving conditions and travel delays should be expected throughout the weekend including along I-70 between Georgetown and Avon. Many mountain areas will get 4-8 inches of snow but some spots like Wolf Creek Pass, Rabbit Ears Pass, and parts of the Rocky Mountain National Park region could get more than a foot of snow.

In terms of temperatures, after more near record warmth on Wednesday and Thursday, temperatures will gradually drop starting late Friday and the weekend will be chilly. That said, at no point will get as cold as it was a week ago.