DENVER – Light snow along the I-25 Corridor could make for a slick commute for travelers Friday morning as a fast-moving storm moves over the area overnight — especially south toward Castle Rock.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Boulder said earlier Thursday the best chance for heavy snow will be primarily along and south of I-70 after midnight, with some “better” snow possible as far north as the mountains of eastern Grand and western Boulder counties.
Up to three inches of fresh powder are expected in the mountains, which could make for slippery travel conditions during the morning commute. Other areas where heavy snow is expected will be along and west of the Peak-to-Peak Highway.
“If any snowfall makes it off the higher terrain tonight, it will be light with less than an inch expected,” weather officials said in their forecast discussion.
The snow will spread onto the nearby plains by Friday morning with precipitation favoring the Palmer Divide where temperatures should stay cool enough to allow for a few inches of slushy, wet snow throughout the day.
Periods of light snow expected for mountains, foothills, and Palmer Divide through Friday. Highest potential for slick conditions will be in the mountains, and possibly Palmer Divide Fri AM. Some snow may mix in for Denver metro. Will be wet and slushy for lower elevations. #COwx pic.twitter.com/MiRQPnydDI
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) January 25, 2024
In the Denver metro, some of the slickest conditions are expected to occur from Castle Rock south toward Colorado Springs, where these areas could pick up an inch or two through the morning, with the rain-snow mix chance increasing by the afternoon as temps climb to around 40 degrees.
“Temperatures will be much more marginal and are expected to limit accumulations, particularly on roadways,” forecasters wrote.
By Friday afternoon, snow shower activity will gradually decrease for the metro but will continue for parts of the Front Range, leading to a few more inches of snow for the higher elevations just east of the Continental Divide, weather officials said.
All snow showers are expected to end by midnight Saturday.
The cooler weather ends by next week thanks to a high-pressure system that will flow over the region, resulting in drier weather and a “fairly steady” warm-up through Tuesday or Wednesday, where temps. are expected to be well above average, soaring to the upper 50s to even low 60s under plenty of sunshine.
