In case you lost count, we haven’t seen measurable precipitation in Denver since November 24 when we officially saw 5″ of snow fall.
Since then, it’s been dry and rather warm. Especially recently, the recent spell of 50s and 60s has created quite the illusion that it’s not December but that will change as Thursday comes around.
After Wednesday’s beautiful weather, we will definitely be brought back to reality with cool, cloudy and snowy weather for several days in a row. A cold front is going to move through the region on Thursday. After that, a swirling cluster of clouds of the SoCal coast will get picked up by the jetstream and move into our area. Cooler temps + moisture = snow.
Since this will be coming up from the south, southern Colorado will be the first location to see snow. It will then progress north through Thursday and by the time it gets to us, it will be after dark. We will see our first flakes fly from Thursday night to Saturday morning with varying bursts of energy.
Right now, the first bout of energy will move through Thursday overnight into Friday. We will wake up to some snow on the ground, probably an inch or two. There will be on and off snow showers through the daylight onFriday before another pulse of energy increases snow rates for Friday night into Saturday morning. This will create another possible 1-2″ of accumulation.
Total through this period:
Denver: 2-5″ by Saturday morning.
Boulder: 3-7″
Fort Collins: 2-5″
Mountains east of the divide: 3-9″
Southern mountains: 4-12″
Then we have another *possible* storm to watch for Saturday afternoon into Sunday. A spinny low pressure is will move onshore the Pacific Northwest and swing towards our area. Some models are saying that this storm could be a good performer for NE Colorado because of the upslope component, others are thinking it’ll be too far away and only probably an extra inch of snow or so.
Right now, it’s hard to say which will happen. So, for now, enjoy the sunshine and get ready for colder weather on Thursday and snow on Friday.
~Andy
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