DENVER — It's a gorgeous start to the day and we're in store for another warm April afternoon before our next storm hits!
We'll see temperatures in the upper 60s by lunch and upper 70s by late Thursday afternoon! It’ll feel dry, though, with humidity dropping quite a bit. Because of that, a number of red flag warnings go into effect at 11 a.m. and cover most of eastern Colorado and the Front Range.
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Thursday night into Friday is when the big shift happens. A cold front moves in, bringing much colder air and a chance for snow. Snow should start in the mountains late Thursday night, then spread into lower elevations and the plains during the day Friday. Totals look fairly light overall, but expect a noticeable change from warm and dry to cold and unsettled.
Friday itself will feel dramatically colder, with highs only reaching the upper 30s to low 40s. Roads in lower areas will likely stay mostly wet since the snow falls during the daytime, but mountain roads could get slick, especially over passes. The bigger story may actually be the cold rather than the snow. We're right now looking at around 1 to 2 inches of snow across the metro area, but that will likely just leave the roads wet and not snow packed. Heavier snow is expected in the northern and central mountains, with around 3 to 5 inches by Saturday morning.
Temperatures will take a big hit late Friday night and early Saturday morning. A freeze watch has been issued for all of eastern Colorado, with subfreezing temperatures likely through early Saturday morning. That could be rough on early plants and any irrigation systems that are already running, so it’s a good idea to protect or drain anything sensitive. After that, the weekend gradually warms back up, with milder and drier weather returning by Sunday and into early next week.
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