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Storm to bring soaking rain and cooler temps in town, potential for feet of snow in the mountains

After highs in the 70s all weekend, soggy/cool weather returns Monday-Wednesday

Monday through Wednesday will be wet in town with heavy rain in the forecast. At the highest elevations, there is potential for feet of snow in that time frame. Stacey Donaldson has your forecast.

By: Stacey Donaldson

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DENVER - Tonight, things are already starting to bubble up over the mountains with a few thunderstorms popping up and even a little lightning in the mix. Those storm cells are drifting slowly to the north-northwest, and we've got a steady southeasterly breeze blowing across the plains into the foothills. Over in southern California, there's a low-pressure system spinning near the Mexico border, and it's heading our way.

By late tonight and into Monday, that low pressure will move across Arizona and be over the Four Corners area by late Monday afternoon. That means we’ll start to see more moisture building up across the state, especially by tomorrow afternoon. It won’t be too wet tonight—just a few mountain showers mostly south of I-70—but Monday is looking a lot wetter. Rain should become more widespread during the afternoon, though it won't be stormy everywhere. Temperatures will also take a dip, around 10 to 15 degrees cooler than today thanks to the clouds and rain.

The main event hits Tuesday. That same storm system will be centered over northern New Mexico by morning and will bring in a big push of moisture from the southeast. Most areas will get in on the rain, but the eastern slopes of the Front Range and the urban corridor will likely see the most, with some places possibly picking up 1 to 2 inches. Higher elevations could see even more. There's still some uncertainty in exactly how much will fall, especially out on the plains, but it’s clear that western areas will get the heavier totals.

Snow lovers, this one’s for you. If you’re above 9,000 feet, expect a solid snowstorm Monday night through Wednesday morning—possibly close to 2 feet in the highest peaks. A Winter Storm Watch is already in place for the Front Range Mountains. It’s a bit of a toss-up between rain and snow in the mid-elevation zones like the Palmer Divide and lower foothills, since temperatures may or may not get cold enough for snow to stick. Forecast confidence just isn’t high enough yet for winter alerts below the 9,000-foot mark.

By Wednesday, the system will start to wind down as it moves east. After that, we’ll dry out and warm up, with a ridge of high pressure setting up over the West. That should bring sunshine and above-average temperatures to wrap up the week. Other than a few pop-up afternoon showers in the mountains, it’s looking like a calm and pleasant end to the week.

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