After heavy overnight snowfall in Colorado’s mountains, the bulk of the storm will move toward the Denver area Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service said.
NWS meteorologists said 5 to 20 feet of snow fell overnight in Colorado’s mountains above 10,000 feet, closing roads and creating dangerous travel conditions.
The heavy mountain snow will taper off around noon Wednesday and end in the evening, but not before accumulating another two to six inches of snow. That’s what NWS forecasters said.
“A period of snow is expected for the Denver metro and urban corridor during the morning rush hour, leading to slick road conditions,” NWS forecasters said in a Hazardous weather forecast. “Outside the Palmer Divide, accumulations will be mostly small.”
As in the mountains, snow showers in the metro will become lighter during the day and end in the afternoon or early evening, forecasters said.
According to Wednesday morning’s forecasts, expected snowfall totals between Wednesday and Thanksgiving morning across the Front Range include:
- Up to 3 inches in Denver, Aurora, Broomfield, Centennial, Colorado Springs, Northglenn and at Denver International Airport;
- Up to 4 inches in Arvada, Boulder, Highlands Ranch, Lakewood, Littleton and Parker;
- Up to 5 inches in Castle Rock and Golden;
In the mountains, new expected snowfall totals include to:
- 8 inches on Monarch Pass in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, which already received 26 inches of snow since the storm began Monday;
- 4 inches on Copper Mountain and its ski area, where 20 inches of fresh snow has already accumulated;
- 2 inches of snow on the peaks of Breckenridge, which already had 7 inches of snow;
- Four inches on Vail Pass, where two feet of snow already fell and the road was closed.
- 6 inches in Winter Park, Eldora and Keystone, each of which has already seen between 5 and 7 inches of snow;
- 10 inches in Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains, including Cucharas Pass and La Veta Pass;
- 12 inches along Cordova Pass in the San Isabel National Forest.
Most mountain roads will be accessible and more passable this evening. forecasters said. Highways out of Denver, including Interstate 70 and US 285, will improve during the morning and “be much better later in the afternoon.”
A Winter storm warning remains in effect for mountains above 30,000 feet until 5:00 PM Wednesday and several Winter weather advisories ends in the Foothills and metro area around 2 p.m
Thanksgiving will be cold but dry in the Denver area, according to NWS forecasters. Denver can expect temperatures around 37 degrees before nighttime temperatures drop to 17 degrees.
In the mountains, the wind chill could make it feel like -13 degrees in some areas, although actual temperatures will hover in the mid-20s, forecasters say.
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