NewsLocal News

Actions

Winter weather advisory in effect for Colorado's northern mountains

Denver metro area will see fog, rain throughout the day
willow creek pass snow
Posted at 12:27 PM, May 04, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-04 14:27:05-04

A winter weather advisory is in effect for Colorado's northern mountains until Thursday morning, with up to 10 inches expected in some places, according to the National Weather Service out of Boulder.

The NWS said the the advisory covers much of the Steamboat Springs area, as well as west of Fort Collins and north of Granby, and includes Rocky Mountain National Park and the Medicine Bow Mountain Range.

It expires at 6 a.m. Thursday.

snow in the mountains and foothills above 7K feet_may 4 2022

Snow-covered roads may make travel dangerous, the NWS said.

NWS said they have seen "moderate to heavy" snow in that region. Along the Continental Divide around 7,000 feet, the mountains will see at least 6 inches of snow, but up to 12 inches may fall around some of the higher areas, the NWS reported.

Estes Park_May 4 2022 snow

Other places are still seeing snow, but in a lesser amount. Estes Park will see 2-3 inches, Red Feather Lakes will see 4-6 inches, Granby will see 1-2 inches and Evergreen will see less than 1 inch, according to the NWS.

This spring snowfall is expected to continue through Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, the eastern plains, including the Denver metro area, will just see rainy and foggy conditions. The Palmer Divide may get some isolated thunderstorms by Wednesday afternoon, the NWS reported. Highs will stay in the upper 40s to low 50s with rain showers until the evening.

The NWS said the Cameron Peak Fire, East Troublesome Fire, Calwood Fire and Williams Fork Fire burn scars are not under any threat of flash flood through Sunday.

Looking at southern Colorado, a red flag warning has been issued for Thursday afternoon through the evening for the San Luis Valley area, where a fire weather watch will also go into place Friday afternoon through the evening. During these times, the wind will blow 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.

Come Friday and Saturday, warmth will return to Colorado. Highs will linger in the upper 70s to mid 80s.

For many, this precipitation is a welcomed sight amid current drought conditions. As of last Thursday, about 4.5% of the state is under an extreme drought, 47.62% is under at least a severe drought, and 88.57% is under at least a moderate drought. Click here for the latest, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.