DENVER – After Friday’s mild and warmer weather, Denver’s 7-day forecast shows temps will tumble into the 30s for afternoon highs over the next few days as a quick blast of snow is expected just in time for the weekend.
“We’ll pick up snow here in Denver Saturday night into early Sunday and then we’ve got another round early next week,” said Denver7 chief meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo. “For those early morning skiers and snowboarders, your I-70 drive headed west will be alright but by midday and for the afternoon drive headed back, that’s when we’ll start to see some slick conditions.”
Snow will begin to develop in Colorado’s mountains Saturday morning and pick up through the day before arriving along the I-25 corridor first as a rain-snow mix by the mid-afternoon before transitioning to all snow.
“Snowfall totals look to be around 2 to 4 inches for the core of the metro area,” added Hidalgo. “We’ve got an area east and along the Palmer Divide where we could see upwards of 3 to 5 inches of snow.”
Also of concern, fog and the potential for freezing fog could make for hazardous driving conditions in some areas of northeastern Colorado, including the Denver metro area.
Check latest winter weather alerts in Colorado.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Boulder issued a dense fog advisory for the I-25 corridor stretching from Fort Collins through south of Castle Rock.
The advisory goes into effect from 1 a.m. through 10 a.m. Saturday where visibility could drop from between 1/4 to 1/2 miles in areas under dense fog.
"Freezing fog may result in slick conditions on elevated road surfaces," added NWS forecasters.
Sedgwick and Phillips Counties go under the dense fog advisory at 8 p.m. on Friday.
A winter weather advisory has also been issued for portions of Jackson, Grand, Larimer, Boulder, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Summit and Park Counties where higher elevations could see between 4 and 9 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 50 mph, according to the NWS. The winter weather advisory lasts from 3 p.m. Saturday to 3 p.m Sunday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Grand Junction issued a winter weather advisory starting at 3 p.m. Saturday for higher elevations, including the Elkhead and Park Mountains, where travel could become difficult. Aspen, Vail and Snowmass are included in the weather alert which is set to expire at 3 p.m. Sunday.
“The heaviest totals will be in the Park Range where up to 10 inches could fall through Sunday night,” added the NWS in Boulder.
As of Friday afternoon, the Denver metro was not included in any winter weather alert.
Snow timeline for Colorado, Denver metro areas
Conditions in the metro will remain dry through Friday with a mix of clouds and sun by Saturday morning. By noon, moderate snow is expected to form in higher elevations before arriving in the Fort Collins area by around 3 to 4 p.m.
Communities along the I-25 corridor, including in Denver, should expect mostly snow by the early evening hours on Saturday before quickly moving out by early Sunday morning.
Potential Colorado snow totals through Sunday morning
- Denver: 2.5”
- Aurora: 3.5”
- Parker: 3.6”
- Castle Rock: 3.4”
- Evergreen: 4.0”
- Boulder: 3.6”
- Grand Lake: 5.6”
- Winter Lake: 6.1”
- Fort Collins 4.3”
- Rabbit Ears Pass: 8.0”
- Fort Morgan: 2.5”
- Firestone: 3.0”
- Evergreen: 4.0”
- Loveland Ski Area: 6.0”
- Copper Mountain: 6.0”
- Sterling: 1.3”
If you’re headed to the Broncos game on Sunday, bundle up. Skies will gradually clear out with weather around tailgating time showing temps around 30 degrees before only warming up to around 34 degrees by kickoff.
Another round of snow is possible by late Monday into Tuesday. Check latest Colorado weather alerts here.
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