A mix of rain and snow will sweep across the state Friday before turning into only snow overnight, according to National Weather Service forecasters.
With a high of 43 degrees projected for Denver Friday, it’s a little too warm for snow to stick and little to no snow accumulation is expected before 7 p.m., forecasters said.
Between 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday, the Denver area can expect to see up to five inches of snow, with the most snow accumulating overnight, according to NWS projected snow totals.
Temperatures in the city will dip down below freezing Friday night, hovering around 31 degrees, before jumping back up to a high of 43 degrees by Saturday afternoon, forecasters said.
The mountains will also see significant overnight snowfall, with the heaviest snow accumulation happening in Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park and the foothills of Boulder, Gilpin and Clear Creek counties, forecasters said. Snow-covered roads are possible, especially along Interstate 70 southwest of Denver and over mountain passes.
Winter Park, Georgetown and Central City are all expected to get up to nine inches of snow this weekend, according to projected snow totals.
Moderate to heavy waves of snow could spread eastward onto the Interstate 25 corridor and plains Friday night, NWS forecasters said.
One to four inches of snow is likely for lower elevation areas along the I-25 corridor, and four to nine inches is projected for the foothills and east slope mountain ranges, according to a NWS hazardous weather outlook.
Slick roads and reduced visibility conditions will peak Friday night through Saturday morning but may continue through Saturday night, the hazardous weather outlook stated. Conditions will be worse along the Front Range and foothills where more snow falls, but slick spots will be possible along I-25 and into the plains.
Rain will return Saturday night following the end of the snowstorm, but the rest of the week will be warmer and drier, forecasters said. By Monday, temperature highs in Denver will return to the mid-70s, and only slight afternoon thunderstorms and rain showers will be possible throughout the week.
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