DENVER — Get ready for another round of snow Thursday into Friday in the Denver metro area, along with the coldest temperatures of the season so far along the Front Range, as winter weather advisories go into effect Thursday.
The winter weather advisories go into effect at 5 a.m. for the northern foothills, Rocky Mountain National Park area and Medicine Bow Range, where 4-8 inches of snow are expected Thursday into Friday, along with winds gusting up to 35 miles per hour.
The advisory also goes into effect at 5 a.m. Thursday in the Fort Collins, Greeley, and Loveland area, which is expected to see 2-6 inches of snow in the storm and winds gusting up to 25 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder.
The Denver metro area from the Palmer Divide north will see the winter weather advisory go into effect at noon Thursday through Friday morning, as the precipitation is expected to move from north to south along the foothills and I-25 corridor.
The metro area is expected to see 2-5 inches of snow in the storm, with higher totals expected in Boulder County and closer to the foothills.
Flurries and light snow are expected to develop late Thursday morning in the metro area – and earlier in the morning further north – and increase in intensity through the afternoon and evening, meaning the Thursday evening commute could be slick and slow-going.
The cold front will move in Thursday morning after overnight lows in the high 20s in the Denver metro area, and the front will keep high temperatures Thursday only in the mid 20s, falling into the teens after dark.
The heavier bands of snow are expected to first develop near the Wyoming border Thursday morning and slowly shift south through the evening — possibly into the Denver area, which saw the heaviest bands of snow during the storm earlier this week.
The main concentration of snow will be between eastern Adams and Weld counties, south to the southern Denver metro area, along Highway 40 to the west, and north to the Wyoming border, according to Thursday’s forecasts.
Low temperatures Friday morning depend on how long it takes for the snow to end overnight and clouds to clear, but they could fall into the single digits and down near zero.
High temperatures Friday are only expected to reach the low 20s, but Saturday and Sunday will be warmer and sunny, though overnight temperatures will still be in the teens and low 20s.
Though most of the snow will be concentrated in the South Platte, Laramie and North Platte, and Upper Colorado Headwaters river basins, another round of snow will continue to bolster the decent start to the season in terms of snowpack.
Snowpack statewide was 104% of median levels from 1911-2020 as of Wednesday morning, with the western basins all above median levels and the Laramie and North Platte (87%), South Platte (85%) and Arkansas (87%) basins slightly below median levels.
Denver has already received 6.4 inches of snow so far at Denver International Airport – well above last year, when it did not snow until December. The year beforehand, Denver had 10 inches of snow by the start of December. In 2019, Denver had already received 25 inches of snow by the start of December.
As of last week, 83% of Colorado is abnormally dry or worse in terms of drought, and 47% of the state was seeing moderate drought. Twenty-three percent of Colorado was experiencing severe or worse drought — primarily along the eastern plains, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Stay with the Denver7 weather and news teams over the next couple days for the latest on what to expect from the incoming storm and as the cold front and snow move in. You can also get 24/7 weather updates on Denver7+.