DENVER — The calm before the storm seems to be typical weather behavior for Colorado and this week is no exception. The warm and mild Presidents Day weekend we're enjoying will give way to bitter-cold temperatures and lingering snow beginning late Monday.
Colorado’s Front Range, mountains and Eastern Plains are in store for some of the coldest temperatures of the season as a cold front pushes south into the area sometime Monday late afternoon or early evening. But before this system gets a stranglehold, highs will likely reach the 60s in Denver Monday afternoon.
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The arctic air that moves in late Monday will settle over the area and will not budge through at least Thursday, bringing daytime temperatures down to the single digits in some areas. Overnight lows will be near zero and below in parts. Wednesday should be the coldest with lows expected to be around five below zero in the Denver area.
The system will also bring snowfall, which is expected to begin late Monday night or early Tuesday morning and continue off and on for the following couple of days. The Tuesday morning commute may see the worst of it as continuous snowfall is expected during this time. Total snow accumulations of 6 to 8 inches are forecast in the Denver area when all is said and done.
Although snowfall amounts should remain fairly light along the Front Range, it will increase closer to the foothills and mountains, where extended periods of snow and very cold temperatures will begin to set in Monday morning, bringing a fresh powder day for Presidents Day skiers.
Moderate snow accumulations are likely in the mountains by the time this system moves out. Winter storm watches are in effect early Monday morning from Steamboat Springs toward Telluride.
The arctic air will begin to move out Thursday, making for a quieter weekend with temperatures in the 40s.
