Good Evening – Gorgeous Saturday on tap, then cooler with raindrops. Forecast video here: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2301089243436824&id=1707264486152639

Good Afternoon, as we await the changeover to snow from rain, look at this guy! He decided to organize over the Springs and start heading NE about 30 MPH. Hail from pea size to dime size is possible with this storm, as well as a quick downpour. Be aware of this if you’re traveling in the area of the Springs up towards Calhan and and perhaps Kiowa if it holds together.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2295056110706804&id=1707264486152639&sfnsn=mo

The storm continues to work west, conditions rapidly deteriorating to the east of the Metro now, and a huge mess in town. Here is what we have as far as impacts:

Good Morning – as I write this at 11 AM MDT, the winds are howling and the snow is being driven sideways as a result. The rain we had earlier this morning has frozen and it is a mess.

Here’s the warning board as of 11:00 AM MDT – all of the above is set to expire at midnight tomorrow morning. The National Weather Service expects the heaviest snows to set up east of a line from Greeley to DIA to Castle Rock, with wind gusts up to 80 MPH and whiteout conditions likely. Accumulations up to a foot are possible. Closer in to the foothills, 4 to 10 inches are expected, with gusty winds.

Here you can see the swirl of this intense storm on the CO/KS border. Road closures are taking place fast and furious. just like the winds, so the best thing to do is STAY INDOORS!

If you haven’t already and you still have power in the Metro, charge your phones and computers/tablets. 70,000 are without power in the Xcel Energy service area, and we expect that number to climb as the day progresses. We’ll have additional updates as they become available, follow us on Twitter a @FrntRangeWx

Good Evening! Here in Colorado, we get one more mild afternoon tomorrow with plenty of sun, then we’ll increase your clouds and cool it off. No snow mess to deal with in the Metro, quiet in the high country until the weekend. Looking in the distance though, a pattern is setting up for some snows east of the Mississippi river for the latter half of the week, and even into next week. Let’s pop the hood and have a look.

SEVERE WEATHER?: Nope, not for the next 4 days anywhere in the US according to the Storm Prediction Center. Just a whole lot of nothing to look at in that department, but we will look at some winter weather mischief in Colorado’s high country this weekend. I do not at this point expect anything to cause any significant headaches around the Metro.

BIG PICTURE: A split flow pattern that becomes almost zonal with some gentle curve to it through the Plains is the rule. A big beefy low pressure center currently just off the California coast is gradually spinning it’s way on shore, and water vapor satellite imagery is showing two distinct moisture branches, one branch routing into the lower 48 from Canada and points north via the Pacific Northwest, and the other one, rich with Pacific moisture, coming into the mainland through southern California. The Ohio and Tennessee valleys will need to keep an eye out for the next week or so, as signs are pointing to some weather woes for the weekend and early the next week. You know the low pressure system I’m talking about that is easing onto the Pacific coast right now? It’s forecast to travel almost due east as this week rolls to the end. It’ll get shredded up some during it’s trip through the Rockies, but it re-organizes, and come Saturday/Sunday, it’ll move across the Tennessee valley, resulting in a good chance for some snow problems to deal with on the north side of the system, and some showers and storms possible if the Gulf is in play with southerly flow pushing moist air up through Mississippi and Alabama.

QUICK CHILLING TREND: For us here in Colorado, I expect one more day of temperatures that will be fairly mild, with an afternoon high of about 43, then after that, turn on the chill for a bit. Canadian air will be funneled more directly in here, combine that with more clouds than sunshine, and we’ll be in the low 30’s for a day or two, but then we should be able to find some upper 30’s and even a 40 or two this weekend.

SNOW?: Sure – if the ski traps are making it. Not a lot going on to create snow in the area, at least until the weekend. That’s when the big low that is creeping onshore in California now will be close enough to do something for you if you want some snow, but you’ll need to head up into the high country for it. Not much going on otherwise.

Here’s your forecast:

Tonight – Starry and chilly, lows near 18. Winds NW 5-10 MPH could push wind chills into the low teens.

Wednesday – Sunny to start, clouds increase as the day progresses, seasonably mild, high 43.

Thursday – Mainly cloudy, perhaps a couple of peeks of sun, colder. High 32.

Friday – Continued cloudy, but a but warmer, high 37.

Saturday – Clouds thin out, turning mainly sunny and warmer, high 42.

I hope you have a great Wednesday!

 

Good Evening!  We have had a couple of very nice late Fall days to melt the snow from the storm Sunday/Monday of this week.  Now we are back into it with more winter weather on the way.  Lets have a look at what’s going on!

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ON DECK – As mentioned in the last post, NWS Boulder has a Winter Weather Advisory set to go active at 3 AM tomorrow morning, lasting the entire day.  We’ll see some snow starting to the north, and working south into and through the Metro. Let’s take a deeper dive.

PRE-DAWN AND EARLY PRECIP? – I am expecting clouds to thicken as the night progresses, and areas between Fort Collins and the state line could see some drizzle as soon as 3 AM. The tricky part of this forecast is, “does it become freezing drizzle right out of the gate or no?”  I think no, that precipitation drops further into the northern end of the Metro by about 6 AM.  It should be closer to then that stuff starts changing to freezing, and snow could be falling as soon as 8 AM in Denver proper.  Forecast data is coming in with varying speeds and temperature profiles, so confidence in an exact time snow will start is low.  All data does say that we’ll be snowing by noon tomorrow though!

WHERE AND HOW MUCH? – NWS Boulder has the Winter Weather Advisory up all the way down to the Palmer Divide.  It will be close but my money says if you gets south of say, Castle Rock or Larkspur, you should be fine, as in any snow there should be of little consequence, if you even see any there.  This appears to be a northeast quarter of Colorado affair, with the heavy stuff up in the high country!  Metro area, dusting to an inch.  Foothills, 1-3″, locally higher amounts possible, especially as you go north. High country, 4-8″ unless you’re around Leadville or Estes Park, then you might see double digits up to a foot!

Here’s my forecast for Denver and vicinity including Thornton and Littleton:

Tonight – Clear to start, increasing clouds and becoming chilly, some rain or perhaps drizzle late.  Lows near 28, winds  northerly 5-10 MPH. Winter Weather Advisory in play after 3 AM.

Saturday – Cloudy skies, any rain will change over to snow by about 11 AM, high only 34.  Winds N 5-10 mph.

Sunday – Skies slowly clearing, warmer.  High 43.

We’ll have more for you later and a six day planner as well!