Snow moved into the Denver area with a Winter Weather Advisory downtown and Winter Storm Warnings south and east for 5-10″ of snow.
DENVER — FORECAST BY: 9NEWS Weather Impact Team Meteorologist Kathy Sabine
THE FORECAST AT A GLANCE:
A mild dry Election day with afternoon temperatures in the mid 50s downtown. Tonight a strong storm is moving across Colorado producing a blast of cold and snow that will impact the Wednesday morning drive. We have issued a Weather Impact Day Wednesday.
Snow has been falling in the mountains all day and this evening intensifying in coverage and intensity and now including the front range and foothills. A cold front is pushing south along the Front Range tonight, bringing the cold air support for overnight accumulation downtown.
After reaching high temperatures in the 50s today, we will top out in the mid 30s tomorrow.
Snow has been falling since sunset, the heaviest snow will fall west and south of Denver, where Winter Weather Advisories are in place. Light snow will continue through the first part of the day Wednesday before we see gradual clearing and a brief break between storms Thursday.
A Winter Storm Warning goes into effect overnight tonight through Wednesday evening for the central and eastern plains, where we could see up to 8 inches of snow accumulation by Wednesday evening.
Totals with this storm will vary widely. The foothills west and the Palmer Divide south of Denver will probably get several (4″+) of snow, while areas north of Denver (including Fort Collins and Greeley) may only see a dusting to an inch or two of snow. The Palmer Divide and south will likely get inches of snowfall as well.
Expect winter driving conditions along Interstate 70 across the state. Snow tonight will make mountain driving hazardous. Snow across the plains overnight and Wednesday will make driving east along I-70 difficult as well. Winds gusting up to 40mph will decrease visibility.
The big question will be where and how the storm moves. This storm is a so-called “cutoff low,” meaning it’s detached from the jet stream with nothing to move it. That means the storm will likely sit and spin for several days, pumping in snow to southern Colorado before potential moving back over the Plains and bringing another bigger storm with it.
Be ready for a wintry week with several rounds of snow, with tonight, tomorrow and Friday night/Saturday looking like the main time windows for Denver-area snow.
TUESDAY: Partly sunny and cool with a chance for late day and evening rain and or snow showers late, high 54. Mostly cloudy overnight, low 28.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy with snow likely, mainly in the morning, high 35. Mostly cloudy and cold overnight, low 25.
THURSDAY: Partly cloudy with a chance for flurries, high 40. Cloudy overnight, low 23.
FRIDAY: Partly to mostly cloudy with snow showers possible, mainly late, high 42. Mostly cloudy with snow likely overnight, low 24.
SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy with morning rain or snow possiblebefore clearing late, high 46. Partly cloudy overnight, low 29.
SUNDAY: Partly to mostly sunny and warmer, high 58. Partly cloudy overnight, low 31.
MONDAY: Partly to mostly sunny and warmer, high 61. Partly cloudy overnight, low 31.
CLOSINGS: Latest closings and delays in Colorado
WEATHER LINE 9: Updated weather forecast information at 303-871-1492.
TRAFFIC CENTER: Keep up on crashes and travel times here
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9NEWS Weather Impact Team
The 9NEWS Weather Impact Team of Kathy Sabine, Cory Reppenhagen, Laurann Robinson, Keely Chalmers and Chris Bianchi update the Denver weather forecast multiple times each day.
Bookmark this link to always have the latest forecast from 9NEWS. The team values your local weather reports and often features your photos and videos during weather segments in all newscasts.
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