A winter storm will drop up to 5 inches of snow on Colorado’s Interstate 70 mountain corridor Friday but likely transition into rain over metro Denver, according to the National Weather Service forecasters.
Front Range residents will likely see precipitation from a “fairly weak” system starting tonight, said Bruno Rodriguez, a meteorologist with the NWS Boulder office.
Metro Denver can expect showers overnight into Friday with a chance of snow mixed during the early morning, but temperatures hovering in the mid-30s should prevent most, or any, snow accumulation.
Weekend warriors heading into the mountains Friday could encounter 1-5 inches of snow, Rodriguez said, while folks near Castle Rock, Monument Hill and Palmer Divide may see some slushy accumulations.
There will be some lingering snow showers in the mountains Saturday, while things should start to dry up in lower elevations.
The storm system will likely bring high winds to Colorado’s Eastern Plains, with gusts over 65 mph peaking Friday afternoon. Most of the plains are under a Red Flag Warning, High Wind Warning or High Wind Watch, according to NWS.
A hazardous weather outlook for snow, rain and wind is in effect from the mountains to Eastern Plains, including Denver, Adams, Jefferson, Arapahoe, Douglas, Broomfield, Boulder, Clear Creek, Grand, Summit, Larimer, Jackson, Gilpin, Park, Weld, Morgan, Elbert, Logan, Lincoln, Washington, Sedgwick and Phillips counties. Windy conditions are expected to contribute to fire danger across the urban corridor and plains through the weekend, forecasters said.
Another round of snow is forecast for late Tuesday and Wednesday, and colder temperatures could mean more accumulation for metro Denver then, Rodriguez said.
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