Snow continues overnight for Denver and Eastern Colorado

Radar image from 9:00 pm MST Wednesday night

The snowstorm affecting east Colorado continues overnight through Thursday morning, with previously forecasted snow totals still on track.  Snow began falling in Denver around 3:00 this afternoon, with periods of heavy snow at the onset making for what appeared to be a brutal afternoon commute on the highways across the metro area.  So far we have picked up about 2-3 inches in central Denver, with most of the accumulation expected to fall during the overnight hours.  

The National Weather Service is forecasting 4-8" for Denver metro, with the highest amounts along and east of I-25, and south of downtown.  For areas along the Palmer Divide, and areas farther east on the Plains, 6-12" can be expected, with 9-18" expected closer to the Kansas border.  Ft. Collins will be a little too far north and will only see a couple of inches, while Colorado Springs should generally see 3-6" with higher totals west of the city and north towards the Palmer Divide.  Mountain snowfall will continue for the Sangre de Christos and the Pikes Peak region as well, with up to a foot or more possible in these areas.

The snow should end for most areas by noon tomorrow, and temperatures will remain cold with highs topping out in the 20's.  Temperatures will gradually warm in Denver on Friday and Saturday (topping out in the 40's on Saturday), but clouds will hang around through the weekend and below average temperatures will persist through early next week.

Snow developing in the mountains behind the main system tonight and continuing through Friday; significant storm possible Saturday night into Sunday

The storm system affecting eastern Colorado and the Midwest is huge, and wrap-around moisture is developing west of the Continental Divide, bringing snow to the mountains.  West to northwesterly flow is going to continue through the day tomorrow for the mountains, and even into Friday, with a general 6-12" possible for most areas from Steamboat to Vail/Summit County to the Northern San Juans.  Some areas may be in for surprises depending on where the heavier snow bands set up.

After the weather clears out by late Friday, a significant storm will move into Colorado on Saturday night, bringing heavy snow to the mountains, likely favoring the northern and central part of the state.  Word is already getting out among skiers and snowboarders that Sunday could be a big powder day.  With late week snow through Friday along with the weekend storm, skiing conditions should be fantastic heading into the last week of February.  It looks like more unsettled weather and snow will be possible through next Thursday in fact.  It's too early to know if Denver will receive any snow from Saturday night through next week, but the mountains west of the Divide appear to be favored for now.