Colorado snow forecast: Up to 10 more inches possible in Denver

DENVER — The 9NEWS Weather Impact Team issued a Weather Impact Day on Friday and Saturday for a significant snowstorm.

A major winter storm is bearing down on the Denver metro area, with an historic storm continuing across the Eastern Plains.

Hundreds of schools are closed across Colorado on Friday, including some of the largest school districts in the Denver area, such as Denver Public Schools, Aurora, Cherry Creek, Douglas County and Jeffco Public Schools.

Heavy, wet snow will pile up to well over a foot of additional accumulation south and east of Denver, while the city itself could see a foot of snow between Friday and Saturday morning.

The snow moved in Friday morning. While the snowfall remained light in most areas through the morning and early afternoon, it will pick up in a big way. The National Weather Service warned of rapidly deteriorating conditions after 5 p.m.

Rates of snowfall could hit 1 to 2 inches of per hour. It’ll continue well into Friday night and early Saturday morning. A Winter Storm Warning and Weather Impact Day is in place for both today and tomorrow around the metro area.

On the Eastern Plains, an additional 10 to 20 inches of snow will likely shut down all forms of travel, including not only I-70 from Limon on east (which is closed), but also I-76 and Highway 40 and 34.

Scattered power outages and downed branches are possible with the heavy, wet snow that’ll fall in the metro area, especially in areas that see the heaviest snowfall. 

The worst of the snow will probably fall late on Friday afternoon and Friday night. It should start to taper off after midnight and fully shut off by mid-morning on Saturday in the Denver area, although areas east of Denver will hold onto the snow the longest during the day on Saturday.

North of Denver, there’ll be some mixing that’ll reduce totals from an approximate Fort Lupton-Longmont line on north, thanks to downsloping winds off the Cheyenne Ridge. 2-5 inches could fall in Fort Collins and Greeley from this storm.

Calmer weather takes over late Saturday and into early next week. Until then, take this historic November snowstorm seriously – this one will end up in the record books for sure.

• FRIDAY: Cloudy with heavy snow throughout the day, high 34. Mostly cloudy with snow likely overnight, low 29.
• SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy with morning snow, high 42. Partly cloudy overnight, low 26.
• SUNDAY: Mostly sunny, breezy and warming, high 50. Partly cloudy overnight, low 27.
• MONDAY: Mostly sunny, breezy and seasonal, high 54. Mostly clear overnight, low 32.
• TUESDAY: Mostly sunny, windy and mild, high 55. Mostly clear overnight, low 29.
• WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny and chilly, high 50. Mostly clear overnight, low 28.