Cooler weather, snow possible

Cooler weather worked its way into the metro area overnight, and is expected to linger for a few days. While neither the temperatures, nor the precipitation in the short term forecast will be record breaking, it does bring an end to our extended warm and dry period. Temperatures are expected to stay in the 30s and 40s through Sunday, with chances for snow tonight through Saturday night. At this time it looks like our best shot will be Friday night, but little to no accumulation is expected at this time. During the day Friday we could see some freezing drizzle, but again, nothing significant expected. By early next week we start to warm things up again, and should head into Denver's snowiest (fingers crossed) month mild and dry.

Cooler for the weekend

After a week of spring-like temperatures, things will start to cool just a bit going into the weekend. The next several days will remain nice, but we should top out in the 50s rather than the mid to upper 60s. Saturday night a secondary cold front will come racing through the region and drop our temperatures even further with highs only expected in the 30s and 40s for northeast Colorado. Will introduce a slight chance of snow (20%) during the Saturday night/Sunday time frame. At this point it looks like most of the accumulating snow will be restricted to the mountains through the period.

What a difference a week makes

Last week at this time we were preparing for more cold and snow on the tail of a record-setting arctic blast the week before. This week the record warmth of last fall will seem more familiar as temperatures will soar into the 60s with lows staying well above freezing some nights. The main concern this week will be the wind, especially if you live in and the foothills west of town. While Chinook winds are largely responsible for our midwinter warm spells, they can also be incredibly powerful and even dangerous at times. Some of the highest wind gusts recorded along the front range come from these events.

For those of you not quite ready to say goodbye to winter, there is some good news. Denver's snowiest month is quickly approaching... March! The recent cold snap has reminded us what winter is supposed to be like around here, but we remain well below average in terms of snowfall for the season. In fact, with a mere 18 inches of snow so far this season (16.6 inches below average) the Weather Channel gave Denver's winter a D- on their "Winter Snow-card." One would think with 43% of our snow left to fall (on average) we would have a decent chance at gaining on these numbers. Unfortunately, the National Weather Service predicts La Nina to remain strong through the Spring, which could give us weather reminding us more of last fall than last week.

Snow and cold will soon be long gone

The mercury has climbed into the double digits this morning, and will only go up from there. The snow cover will hold temps below 40 until Friday, but come this weekend we will really start to see a warm up! By Sunday we could be approaching 60 degrees, and the cold spell of the last week and a half will turn to a muddy memory. A weak cold front may graze the area Sunday night, but highs are expected to stay in the 50s into next week.

Snow diminishes, cold lingers

The latest arctic cold front to effect the region came in with a fury last night. The heavy snow band some expected to stall over Denver ended up drifting south and east late last night, cutting off accumulating snowfall in the Denver area. Still, an impressive storm if only for a few hours. Incredible winds, heavy snow, and bitter cold. Here is a video from the patio of Lost Lake last night, showing horizontal snow and whiteout conditions.

Though light snow is possible through the remainder of the day, our main focus will turn toward the frigid temperatures that are now in place. Currently it is 3 degrees in Denver, and it is likely we won't climb much higher than that before dropping well below zero tonight. Wednesday will remain cool with highs in the 20s, before a real warm-up starts to end the week. By Saturday highs could be in the mid 50s!

Snow and cold return tonight *UPDATED*

Changes have been made to snowfall forecast... totals have been upped from 3 - 6 to 4 - 8. Latest models suggest this still might be underdone... which would likely mean a warning being posted later today. Stay tuned!

The National Weather Service has issued a *winter weather advisory* for Denver and the entirety of eastern Colorado. A strong cold front associated with this next system will plow through the region sometime late this evening bringing back single digit temps and widespread snow. The NWS predicts the heaviest snow to occur between 5am and 9am Tuesday morning, just in time to make for a hellish commute. In all, Denver should end up with 4 - 8 inches of snow, with snow-favored locations to our south and west picking up 5 - 10. In addition to the snow, temperatures Tuesday are not expected to make it out of the single digits, with lows dropping well below zero Tuesday night.

Please stay tuned for any changes in the going forecast, and snowfall predictions.

More snow likely

Drier air has worked into the the region this morning, but there still remains a chance for snow showers to redevelop this afternoon. With this drier air in place, accumulation likely won't be nearly as impressive as yesterday. Still an inch or so in Denver (more to our south and west) would not be surprising.

The arctic cold front to our north has slowed, and is now due in overnight Monday. This will allow temps to warm Monday during the day before plummeting some 40 degrees in the wake of the front. The NWS says 4 - 7 inches does not look unreasonable with this next system, but have plenty of time to tweak this going forecast.

Forecast Update

The National Weather Service has issued a *winter weather advisory* for Denver south, which remains in effect until midnight tonight. Snow totals of 3 - 6 inches can be expect in Denver, with up to eight inches possible in snow-favored locations to our south and west. North of I-70 to the Wyoming border will see likely see significantly less snow, with 1 - 3 inches expected.

Snow remains in the forecast tomorrow, and still expecting yet another surge of colder air and snow in the Monday/Tuesday time frame. Please see yesterday's post for more details.

Chance of snow to continue

There will be a chance of snow each of the next five days. Several disturbances passing through the region will provide occasional better chances for accumulating snow. The first will come tomorrow as a cold front passes through around midday. It does not look like too much snow at this point, but if the winds turn into the foothills a bit, we could see a couple inches in spots. Our next best chance for snow will come Monday night into Tuesday when another potent arctic airmass moves into the Front Range. Will monitor both these situations closely as there have been quite a few discrepancies in timing and strength of all over these waves.

Little disturbance brings moderate snowfall to parts of Front Range

As I tweeted this morning, a little disturbance moving through the area today will bring some light snow to the area. Looking at the radar right now, it looks like several moderate bands are embedded in this passing system. Still would expect any accumulation to be light, but would not be surprised if a few locations picked up a few quick inches of snow.

Expect the cool and unsettled pattern to continue into next week. With a break in the action Friday, snow returns to the forecast this weekend with another shot of cold air moving into the region Sunday. The NWS predicts an extended period of snowfall in the Sunday - Tuesday time frame, but at this time accumulations look light. We'll see!

Dangerous Cold

A *wind chill warning* remains in effect for most of Colorado today, including the greater Denver metro area. According to the National Weather Service a secondary surge of colder air may help keep temperatures even colder than previously expected. The current temperature is 8 below zero, and is not expected to climb much higher than that today. Tonight temperatures will be approaching record lows with -20 forecast for Denver. Areas with clearing and protected from the wind could see temps drop even lower. With wind chills near -40 today and tonight, the NWS warns frostbite on exposed skin is possible within 5 - 10 minutes. Below are images of the current temperatures and wind chills in the U.S. One can only imagine what these maps will look like tonight...

Temperatures will start to moderate a bit come Thursday, but will remain on the cool side through the weekend. Our next chance for snow looks to be Sunday into Monday, with another arctic blast possible. Still way to far out to have any confidence in this at this time.