After a weekend of spring-like weather, with temperatures in the mid-60s across the state, snow is coming back to Colorado tonight.
According to the National Weather Service, the storm will primarily impact eastern Colorado overnight, with snowfall continuing into Tuesday. Some areas could see up to a foot of snow, while winds could reach 50 mph — and possibly as high as 60 to 70 mph in the southeastern part of the state.
“This isn’t a really cold storm,” said Chad Gimmestad, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “There's a lot of uncertainty for the Denver area… but I think it’s more an issue of it getting slushy when it’s snowing hard. And then of course once you get into the blizzardy areas, it’ll be blowing and drifting going on.”
Gimmestad says that Colorado Springs and southeastern Colorado are expected to experience some of the strongest winds.
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, multiple road closures “are likely” across the Eastern Plains due to the blizzard conditions.
Further west, the mountains will also see snowfall, particularly those closer to the Front Range. Areas along I-70, especially around the Eisenhower Tunnel and Berthoud Pass, could receive heavy snow. Depending on the amount of snowfall, CDOT may conduct avalanche mitigation work later in the week.
For most of the high country, snowy, breezy conditions will be more typical of a standard winter day, according to Gimmestad. Grand Junction and the southwest San Juan mountains are expected to receive anywhere from two to nine inches of snow tonight, with winds staying around 50 mph.
Temperatures are expected to stay relatively mild for a winter storm, with overnight lows in the 20s and 30s. Highs will be in the 30s come Tuesday. However, forecasters say there is still some uncertainty about snowfall totals in the Denver area, where conditions could vary widely.
“This is more of a spring-like [storm], so we don't have that huge mass arctic air coming in behind it,” Gimmestad said. “...We might get back up into the 40s tomorrow afternoon.”
According to Gimmestad, snow is possible Thursday night and into Friday, but temperatures will warm up by the weekend, with most of the state experiencing highs in the mid- to upper 50s.
