It will be a cold, wet weekend in Colorado, according to the National Weather Service, as showers and thunderstorms hit the metro area and the mountains prepare for snow.
Friday will be the last day of above-normal temperatures and dry conditions before thunderstorms and snowy weather hits Colorado on Saturday, NWS forecasters said in a outlook for dangerous weather.
In Denver, temperatures will drop from a forecast 88 degrees Friday to 69 degrees Saturday — a difference of nearly 20 degrees — according to NWS forecasters. Temperatures will drop even further on Sunday, where a high near 56 degrees is forecast.
Showers and thunderstorms are expected to enter the metro area around 3pm on Saturday and intensify during the evening, forecasters said. The stormy weather will continue in the Denver area on Sunday, ending around noon.
At higher elevations, thunderstorms will mix with snow showers, NWS forecasters said.
Near Rocky Mountain National Park – at about 7,000 feet – thunderstorms and showers will turn to snow around 8 p.m. Saturday afternoon. according to NWS forecasters.
Thunderstorms could continue even as snow begins to fall, forecasters say. Up to five centimeters of snow could fall in the park.
Longs Peak, the highest point in Rocky Mountain National Park at 4,259 feet, could see up to 8 inches of snow Saturday, according to NWS forecasters.
At the summit and in other areas above 10,000 feet, snow showers are expected to begin around noon and accumulate several inches of fresh powder, NWS forecasters said in the hazardous weather outlook.
The snow in Colorado’s mountains will lighten Sunday afternoon but will persist through Wednesday, forecasters said.
The mountains are expected to see temperatures drop into the low 40s and low 30s on Saturday and Sunday, according to NWS forecasters.
The Hazardous Weather Outlook calls for a gradual warming trend across the state next week, with temperatures returning to the mid-70s in the urban area and the 40s in the mountains.
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