DENVER — People in parts of the Denver metro should plan on slippery road conditions for the Thursday morning commute, despite continued uncertainty about where our next storm will hit hardest and how much snow will fall by the time people leave their homes.
Already, a winter weather advisory has been issued for eastern Douglas, Adams, Arapahoe, Morgan and Washington counties that’ll be in effect for about nine hours starting at 5 a.m. Thursday. Forecasters with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Boulder said residents in Castle Rock, Elizabeth, Byers, Fort Morgan and Akron could expect to see between two-to-eight inches of snow, with higher amounts over the Palmer Divide and I-70 Corridor east of Denver.
That same advisory was issued from 11 p.m. Wednesday through noon Thursday for Lincoln and eastern Elbert County, where residents could between two-to-seven inches of snow, with the highest precipitation expected along I-70 west of Limon, forecasters said.
Meanwhile, people in Logan, Washington, Sedgewick and Phillips counties could expect pockets of freezing rain and slick conditions for the Thursday morning commute, NWS officials said.
“Snow is going to develop overnight tonight and especially into early tomorrow morning,” said Denver7 chief meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo earlier Wednesday. “It’s going to get heavier south and east of Denver, but looking ahead we’re talking 50s for Friday, so a little up and down.”
Hidalgo called for a Denver7 Weather Action Day starting at 4 p.m. Wednesday through at least the late hours of Thursday morning as Denver and most of the metro will be “just on the edge of some of the heavier snow that could make a real mess of the commute.”
In a social media post early Wednesday morning, NWS officials said uncertainty remained on how much snow will fall with this system, but the most favored areas for heavier bands of snowfall were the southern foothills, Palmer Divide and east central plains.
National Weather Service in Boulder
“Whether in the snow-lover camp or not, many folks will be sorely disappointed, and many will be quite pleased once the snow wraps up. Such is the beauty of a banded snow event!” forecasters in Boulder said.
Despite the uncertainty that remains in the forecast, Hidalgo said Wednesday the core of the Denver metro area could see around one-to-three inches of snow by the time the storm is over Thursday afternoon.
“I would anticipate a messy commute and then hopefully it doesn’t get that bad,” she said, warning that if the incoming system wobbles a bit north, “we could see heavier bands of snow move a little closer to the metro and that could make a mess of our morning commute.”
Still, there’s “reasonable confidence” in little to no impacts for the mountains, northern foothills, and northern I-25 corridor extending from the northwest Denver suburbs to the Wyoming border, NWS forecasters said.
National Weather Service in Boulder
“The axis of greatest uncertainty will be focused across the SW Denver suburbs towards DIA and the northeast plains, where a steep snowfall gradient can be expected. The most favored locations under the heavier snow band may well receive 5-10″ when all is said and done in/near the Palmer Divide, but such amounts won`t be overly widespread,” weather service officials wrote in their forecast discussion.
Whatever happens, the snow will ramp down quickly by midday and temps will climb back into the 40s for snow-free areas of the plains the urban corridor, forecasters said.
Dry and mild conditions return Friday with high temperatures ranging from the mid-50s to the lower 60s through the weekend.
Those heading to the mountains should check the forecast though, as there’s a 20-50% chance of light snow across the high country with breezy to windy conditions that could create gusts of up to 65 mph across the Front Range Mountains and the foothills.
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