DENVER – It hasn’t felt like sweater weather in Denver for a while, but that’ll change by the time the weekend rolls around, with Coloradans in the higher elevations getting their first widespread snow of the season.
Fresh, white powder has already started falling in areas like Aspen Mountain, Pikes Peak and Wolf Creek Pass. And more is on the way.
A winter storm watch will remain in effect for 48 hours starting Friday morning for the northwest and southwest San Juan Mountains. The watch includes areas like Telluride, Ouray, Lake City, Silverton, Rico and Hesperus and also covers North Pass, Cumbres Pass and Wolf Creek Pass, according to the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.
Between 1 and 2 feet of snow are possible for elevations above 9,000 feet with a little more than 3 feet possible for the La Garita Mountains and the eastern San Juan Mountains, weather officials said.
“Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous,” they wrote, warning that “travel could be very difficult to impossible, especially along Highway 160 over Wolf Creek Pass. Those planning travel in the southern mountains to end the week may want to reconsider,” they added in their latest forecast discussion.
Areas like Loveland Pass, Echo Lake and Berthoud Pass may see between 3-6 inches of snowfall, while others, like Hoosier Pass, West Elk Peak and Red Mountain Pass should see anywhere between 8 inches up to 2 feet of snow, according to the snow forecast from the NWS in Boulder.
Closer to home, areas like Winter Park, Fairplay and Bailey should see anywhere between 1-4 inches of snow.
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Denver won’t get any of that sweet, winter action, unfortunately, but we’ll get some much-needed moisture in the form of rain thanks to a strong cold front making its way from northern Arizona by Friday afternoon.
“Just in time for the (afternoon) commute is when we’re going to start to see a better chance for some showers here in and around town,” Denver7 meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo said earlier Thursday.
Those rain showers are expected to bring periods of moderate rainfall and some rumbles of thunder to the Denver metro. If you were hoping for some mixing, there are some good news in the forecast.
“Overnight – Friday night into early Saturday – it’s going to get just cold enough that we may see some of that rain mixing to a little bit of snow there along the Palmer Divide and also up in through the foothills,” Hidalgo said.
Friday's high in Denver is only expected to reach 60 degrees, with Denverites waking up to a chilly 37 degrees Saturday morning, Hidalgo said. The high on Saturday will dip even lower than the day before, to 52 degrees.
The wet weather clears out by Saturday afternoon as those heavier showers move down to the south to areas near Pueblo and Colorado Springs. People there should expect heavy rain late Saturday into early Sunday, Hidalgo added.
Highs will be in the low 60s by Sunday and the things will gradually clear out next week with highs in the low 70s by Tuesday.
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