After a brief taste of some spring-like weather earlier in the week, temperatures will drop quickly as we head into the weekend. The colder temperatures will be the least of residents’ worries as a slow moving system in the upper atmosphere will bring heavy snow to much of Colorado, southern Wyoming and portions of the High Plains, dropping up to 2 feet of snow in some areas. Major travel delays, dangerous roads and power outages will impact major cities across the Plains and the Rockies, such as Denver, Colorado Springs, and Cheyenne. MORECAST provides an up-to-date forecast for the winter storm with details on who can expect the worst of the storm this weekend.
Mountain snow continues across Colorado and Wyoming, mainly above 8,000 feet. Rain will transition to snow in the major metropolitan areas through Saturday as temperatures drop below freezing in the High Plains and snow levels drop to elevations near 6,500 feet. With a slow moving upper level system remaining over the area for several days, the winter storm will continue into Sunday with total snowfall amounts over two feet, mainly for ski resorts above 10,000 feet. Strong winds gusting from 40 to 50 mph will cause low visibility, less than a quarter mile in the hardest hit areas.
Easterly winds will cause significant snowfall along the the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, impacting the metropolitan cities of Cheyenne, Denver, and Colorado Springs. The Front Range and High Plains will see large contrasts in snowfall amounts, largely depending on where temperatures fall below freezing and helping orographic features. There will be a sharp snow gradient through the Denver region, but at this time 6 to 12 inches of snow looks possible.
Low visibility and snow packed roads will make it extremely difficult to drive in many areas, especially along I-70, I-80, I-76 and I-25. The heavy wet snow will lead to downed trees and power lines, likely causing power outages across the Plains. Travelers are urged to take extreme caution on snow covered roads and to avoid traveling this weekend if possible.
MORECAST meteorologists will post additional updates through the weekend. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter pages as well as the MORECAST app for the latest information!