DENVER — A spring storm system is set to bring periods of heavy rain in the Denver metro and I-25 corridor with wet, heavy snow forecast for Colorado’s mountains where a winter storm watch will go into effect for up to 2 feet of accumulation in spots.
Along with the shift from warm, dry days – temperatures will drop with Denver’s high on Tuesday expected to barely reach 50 degrees and again stay in the 50s on Wednesday before conditions dry out starting late Wednesday into Thursday.
A winter storm watch goes into effect starting Tuesday morning for areas above 9,000 feet in portions of Jackson, Larimer, Grand, Boulder, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Summit and Park Counties where 12 to 22 inches of snow is possible, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Boulder.
“Travel could be very difficult, including I-70 east of the Eisenhower Tunnel, the Peak to Peak Highway, US40 and Berthoud Pass area, and Highway 14 over and east of Cameron Pass. The hazardous conditions will impact the late Tuesday morning and Tuesday evening commutes,” said NWS forecasters.
A super soaker of a storm set to hit Colorado
Denver7 chief meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo said the wet weather will stick around in the metro’s forecast for the next several days.
“Scattered showers and thunderstorms will start to pop up Monday afternoon and the heaviest rain is going to fall on Tuesday with Colorado’s Plains looking to see around 1 to 2 inches of rain by Wednesday night,” said Hidalgo. “We have a low risk of severe weather with more wet weather in Denver expected overnight and then definitely looking at wet roads for the morning commute Tuesday."
Denver should see between 1 and 2 inches of rain with heavier rain and snow amounts expected west and south of the metro.
Here are potential rain totals through Wednesday from the NWS.
- Boulder: 1.5" to 2"
- Castle Rock: 1.5" to 2"
- Denver: 1.5" to 2"
- Fort Collins: 1" to 1.5"
- Fort Morgan: .5" to 1"
- Greeley: 1" to 1.5"
- Limon: 1" to 1.5"
The rain is expected to pick up in intensity across the Front Range during the day on Tuesday. Hidalgo said there is a possibility communities along the Palmer Divide could see a rain-snow mix.
NWS forecasters said heavy snow is possible by Tuesday evening down to around 7,500 to 8,000 feet in the Foothills.
“Definitely looking at some slushier conditions for the Foothills. Skies will gradually start to clear out late in the day on Wednesday but we’ll still see more cloud cover and a chance for showers early Wednesday before drier weather starts to settle in,” added Hidalgo.
After several soggy days, temperatures rebound into the mid-60s on Thursday in Denver before reaching the 70s on Friday.Denver’s weather forecast for the weekend looks nice with warmer temps and more sunshine on both days.Saturday’s high should reach near 74 degrees and then 76 degrees with mostly sunny skies on Sunday in Denver.
April in Denver was the 12th driest on record. According to NWS stats, the city only received 2.2” of snow, which is 4 inches below normal. Denver’s official rain gauge only saw a half inch of rain, which was 1.18” below normal.
As for the Denver's snow totals for the season, as of April, the season's cumulative total is down 7.2" from normal. As of the end of April, Denver's snow gauge should be at around 54.9" for the season with the 2024-25 total coming in at 47.7.
Denver's monthly snowfall total for the month of May is only 1.7".
Denver7 is tracking how this snow season compares to previous years. Check Colorado snow statistics in the graphic below or in fullscreen mode by clicking this link.
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