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Turns out the recent stretch of warm days, where temperatures reached 80 degrees in some parts of Denver, was kind of a tease. That’s because rain and snow are headed for the Mile High City in the next few days.
A large trough—an area with low pressure—will hang over the intermountain West region, including Colorado, this week, bringing with it cloud cover, cooler weather, and large amounts of precipitation. What’s shaping up to be a rather wet and chilly streak of weather will start with increasing rain and snow late Tuesday.
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The first stretch of showers is expected to leave behind two to six inches of snow in the foothills by Wednesday morning. During that time, Denver will see between one and three inches of accumulation, while the mountains north of I-70 will likely get six to 12 inches.
Some light rain and snow will persist through Wednesday and into Thursday with some areas of the high country picking up a few more inches of powder by Thursday morning. Another wave of rain and snow is then expected to move through Denver Thursday afternoon.
By Friday, areas above 6,000 feet may see an additional three to six inches of snow, with slightly lower totals for Denver and Fort Collins.
If you’re thinking there’s no way Denver will see five straight days of precipitation, well, you’re probably wrong. As the low pressure area lingers, rain and snow is expected to move through the area on Saturday and possibly into Sunday. Because it’s springtime, temperatures will be warmer in areas under 6,000 feet, making it common for rain to turn into snow then back to rain. Since elevation is playing an important role here, it is possible areas above 6,000 could see a total of six to 10 inches of snow.
While it’s not the ideal spring forecast, our drought-ridden state needs the precipitation as we approach the hotter months. With moderate drought still covering over 90 percent of Colorado, a few days of wet weather might be a small price to pay for better conditions this summer.
