DENVER — Buckle up, Colorado! A strong spring storm is moving into the state starting tonight, and it'll bring heavy snow to the mountains, Denver metro and plains through Wednesday afternoon.
- Watch Danielle Grant's full forecast in the video player below.
A cold front is racing across the northeastern corner of Colorado, moving into the Denver metro area late tonight. It'll usher in scattered rain showers overnight and drop temperatures in the mid to upper 30s.
We'll wake up to mostly cloudy skies and a light drizzle in Denver Tuesday while northern Colorado will see a rain/snow mix move in during the morning drive. The rain and snow make their way south into Denver around the lunch hour and continue throughout the afternoon and early evening. So far, it looks like the roads will just be wet for your Tuesday evening commute.
This spring storm peaks late Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning as we're expecting the heaviest snow to fall during coldest time period. This means the snowfall could stack up more efficiently overnight. The city could also see broken tree branches from the wet, heavy snow, so be sure to shake your trees off before you go to bed! Downed power lines and power outages are also concerns along the Front Range.
A Winter Storm Watch is in effect from 8pm Tuesday through 3pm Wednesday for areas including Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver and Castle Rock. Look for snowfall totals between 3 and 8 inches along the Urban Corridor, but these numbers could quickly change due to the timing and temperatures.
Road conditions may become slick, especially during the Wednesday morning commute, as snow could start to stick to the pavement. Plan ahead and go slow on the roads!
Meanwhile, the northern and central mountains will see heavy snow Tuesday into Wednesday. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect starting at midnight and continuing until 3pm Wednesday. Areas north of Interstate 70 could see 10 to 24 inches of new snow. Travel could become difficult to dangerous at times, especially along the higher mountain passes. Winter Park, Breckenridge and the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnels could get 6 to 18 inches of snow by Wednesday afternoon.
We'll see skies gradually clear by Wednesday afternoon and evening but that means temperatures will drop like a rock. A Freeze Watch will go into effect Wednesday night into Thursday morning for much of the Interstate 25 corridor for lows dipping into the low 20s, bringing a hard freeze to the area. Protect your plants and pipes!
Temperatures rebound into the mid to upper 60s Thursday under mostly sunny skies. We'll see lots of melting along the Front Range as highs top off in the low 70s Friday.
So far, it looks like the mild weather sticks around through the weekend.
DENVER WEATHER LINKS: Hourly forecast | Radars | Traffic | Weather Page | 24/7 Weather Stream
Click here to watch the Denver7 live weather stream.
