Denver Weather: Two Weekend Storms Will Bring Cold And Snow Back To Colorado
DENVER (CBS4) - Colorado's Front Range will enjoy one final day with much warmer than normal temperatures before a double blast of winter arrives for the weekend.
Most of the urban corridor will reach the upper 60s to near 70 degrees on Friday under mostly cloudy skies before cooler air starts to gradually move in from the northwest.
It will be even warmer in southeast Colorado which is part of the reason there is a Red Flag Warning until 8 p.m. on Friday for high fire danger in the southeast quadrant of the state. The Palmer Divide including Castle Rock, Franktown, and Elizabeth in Douglas and Elbert Counties is also included in the Red Flag Warning.
The CBS4 Weather Team has issued a First Alert Weather Day for both Saturday and Sunday because of the rain, snow, and much colder temperatures Colorado will feel this weekend.
But because temperatures have been so warm for so long this past week, the initial cold front that reaches Denver and the Front Range late Friday will not be able to turn temperatures cold enough for snow right away. Therefore most elevations including the Denver metro area will initially get rain Friday night into early Saturday morning before changing to a rain/snow mix by daybreak on Saturday. The mountains will get all snow Friday night into Saturday.
Saturday will also be at least 30 degrees colder than Friday in most areas. Sunday will be another 10 degrees colder than Saturday with 20s all day around Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins.
The second winter storm that will impact Colorado this weekend will arrive Saturday night into Sunday. Between storms, much of Colorado including the mountains will get a break from widespread snow during the afternoon and evening hours on Saturday. Then as the second storm arrives, snow will become widespread again Saturday night through Sunday night and this is the timeframe when Denver and the Front Range will get the most significant accumulation.
At this time, it's expected that the metro area will get no more than 1 inch of slushy snow during the day on Saturday, then up to 1 inch of snow accumulation Saturday night followed by 1-3 inches of snow on Sunday and another 1-3 inches of snow Sunday night. So, the grand total over about 48 hours should be 2-6 inches for most neighborhoods around Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins. The west sides of Boulder and Golden as well as the foothills could have slightly higher amounts.
For the mountains, most ski areas in the state will get 10-20 inches of snow from Friday night through Sunday night. Most mountain towns will get less but there will be enough snow for widespread delays and possible road closures depending on accidents. This includes the I-70 mountain corridor between Georgetown and Avon.
The snow will mostly end Sunday night but lingering light snow showers or flurries will be possible into Monday morning mostly in the mountains. Then drier weather will return for Tuesday before another series of storms impacts Colorado starting on Wednesday. It also looks to be extremely cold for Denver and the Front Range again at the end of next week with below zero temperatures possible.
