The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today!
Sometimes a simple change of scenery can make a huge difference. Lately, as we’ve spent time in our homes, the weather has been beautiful—and if you’ve been out for a socially distanced walk, it’s been nice. But this weekend the weather will be changing, and maybe it’ll be good for all of us.
A low pressure trough swinging through the Western U.S. will eventually gain some strength once it reaches the Rockies and points east, meaning moisture will move into Colorado as early as Thursday evening. It will start in the high country mainly as snow, and by Friday morning some of the central mountains may have 1 to 4 inches of snow on the ground.
Moisture will then fill into the Front Range on Friday morning, starting out as rain showers and gradually turning over to snow as temperatures drop. With how warm it has been and with the higher sun angle now, accumulations probably will hold off until the evening, when the sun begins to set. Areas to the east of Denver, near Limon, may end up with quite a bit of snow and wind from this storm.
Snow totals
Denver is looking at a slushy 1 to 4 inches of accumulation by Saturday morning. Again, precipitation will start as rain on Friday and then transition to snow in the afternoon. At times the snow may be heavy in typical spring-like fashion. Areas near Boulder and down toward Castle Rock might see 2 to 5 inches of snow. The questionable spots are further east of Denver where upward of a half a foot of snow may fall, though it’s to be determined. Fort Collins and Greeley won’t see much accumulation at all.
The mountains are looking to pick up anywhere between 2 to 8 inches of snow, which will further add to the snowpack. The snowpack in the Colorado Rockies typically reaches its peak snowpack on April 11. With the way things are looking, we should be right on track for that to occur.
Since travel is now limited across the state, we shouldn’t have to worry about too many road impacts but those who do need to venture out from Friday evening to Saturday morning are likely run into slick spots.
Looking Ahead
There are signs of another storm impacting Colorado and Denver early next week which could bring another round of heavy mountain snow and another round of rain/snow mix to Denver. After that, it seems as though we are going to have an active start to April in terms of storm systems moving through. Right now, it’s a little early to say, but consistent April snowfall is definitely possible. April is a big transition month for Denver and we should see a few more snow chances, but we are also going to begin to talk about severe weather and the return of thunderstorms—another fascinating weather feature to track. Stay safe. Be well. Enjoy the weather!
