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Colorado will experience a frigid weekend as snow and bitterly cold Arctic air flow into the state on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
Wednesday and Thursday are the last semi-warm days before temperatures start to drop. That’s what NWS forecasters said.
Snow is coming on Friday
Light snowfall will begin in the Colorado mountains around 11 a.m., according to NWS forecasters. Snow will move to the Front Range and Denver in the afternoon, reaching the Eastern Plains in the evening.
How much will stick around is still up in the air, but several inches of dry, fluffy snow is expected, especially at the foothills, NWS forecasters said in a Hazardous weather forecast.
Other weather services, such as AccuWeathercalling for 4 to 8 inches of snow in Denver and surrounding suburbs Friday through Saturday.
Colorado’s mountains, including peaks as high as Mount Elbert and mountain towns like Estes Park, are expected to get 3 to 6 inches of snow this weekend. according to AccuWeather. The Eastern Plains are forecast to get 2 to 4 inches.
Temperatures across the state will drop into single digits Friday night, NWS forecasters said.
Cold temperatures on Saturday signal the first subzero weather of the season in Denver
Once temperatures start dropping on Friday, they won’t rise again until Tuesday.
Saturday will be Denver’s first chance of freezing temperatures of the season, according to NWS forecasters. Although the snow will clear around 11 a.m., temperatures will not rise above the teens in the metro area and could drop to around minus 2 degrees overnight.
The Eastern Plains will see similar lows of minus 2 overnight, but “blustery” wind conditions could make it feel even colder, NWS forecasters said.
It will continue to snow in the mountains all day and night on Saturday, forecasters say. The temperature drops to minus 6 at night before any wind chill occurs.
Northern Colorado, including Walden And KremmlingNWS forecasters say Saturday night will see temperatures as low as 13 degrees below zero.
Snow and negative temperatures return on Sunday
Snow will return to the Front Range and Eastern Plains on Sunday, but little to no new accumulation is expected, NWS forecasters said.
Most of the state will see temperatures between 10 and 12 degrees on Sunday before falling back into or near the negative range, forecasters said.
In Denver, highs of 11 degrees are expected and overnight temperatures down to minus 5 degrees. according to NWS forecasters. The Eastern Plains could be as cold as minus 10 degrees on Sunday night, and in the mountains there will be low temperatures between minus 1 and minus 8.
The cold could feel even worse as the wind gets colder, forecasters say.
The Western Slope, including Delta and Cedaredge, will barely escape the weekend without temperatures dropping below zero. The area is forecast to pass with overnight lows around 1 degree.
Monday will be the coldest day of the weekend’s winter weather
The coldest day of the Arctic blast will be Monday, where “maximums may struggle to get much above zero,” That’s what NWS forecasters said.
“Low temperatures could reach minus 10 to minus 20 in the I-25 corridor and in the Eastern Plains, with the lowest temperatures occurring Monday evening,” forecasters said in a Hazardous weather forecast. “In windy conditions, wind chill values can reach minus 30.”
Northern Colorado will be the coldest part of the state on Monday. In Walden, the temperature fluctuates around 3 degrees during the day and drops to 25 degrees below zero at night. forecasters said.
The Denver area won’t be as cold, but forecasters say the city will see temperatures around 7 degrees and overnight lows of minus 12 degrees. Temperatures in the Eastern Plains and mountains could drop even lower, with nighttime temperatures of 15 to 12 degrees. 20 degrees below zero.
Temperatures will start to warm on Tuesday
Temperatures will break out of the teens and single digits on Tuesday, warming to 33 degrees in Denver and the mid-20s in the mountains and Eastern Plains.
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