Most of the thunderstorms should stay far east of the urban corridor but it's possible a storm could get close to the east side of the metro area and even produce hail. of snow is forecasted with anticipated accumulation in the Denver area. The relatively warm temperatures also means there could be a few thunderstorms that produce thundersnow on Saturday. Here is a look at preliminary snow totals reported to the National Weather Service as of 10 p.m. DOTI utilizes several public and private weather forecast services to determine.

About 99% of the state is still experiencing moderate drought, 89% of the state has at least severe drought, and 57% of Colorado has at least extreme drought. The weekly drought monitor released Thursday morning showed zero improvement for Colorado in the last 7 days. The good news is regardless of what type of precipitation falls in specific areas, it is very welcomed moisture. High temperatures on Saturday and Sunday will hover near freezing in the Denver metro area and could stay above freezing on much of the Eastern Plains meaning precipitation could stay mainly rain especially east of Fort Morgan, Limon, and La Junta. Therefore there will be no big surge of cold air. It will also be a 'warm storm' since it originated in the Pacific Ocean instead of Canada. Denver Snowfall Normal 1981-2010 55.3 inches. Denver Snowfall Long Term Average 1882-2015 57.1 inches. It will be excellent snow for building snowmen but it will also be the type of snow that tends to break branches and causes power outages. Denver's Official Snowfall Totals From the National Weather Service. Therefore the snow will be heavy and wet. A total of up to 5 inches of liquid precipitation will fall with this storm. The snow will also contain a lot of moisture. Meanwhile, even higher snow totals are expected along the I-80 corridor in southwest Wyoming and western Nebraska with up to 32 inches between Laramie, WY and Sidney, NE. (source: CBS)Īccumulation will be less south of Monument Hill with 2 to 12 inches expected in the Colorado Springs area (higher amounts west and north, lower totals east and south of the city). Even higher amounts are possible in Boulder and Fort Collins with totals reaching near 30 inches in some areas. The highest snow totals in Colorado will be over the higher peaks and mountain passes with at least 36-48 inches of snow possible over Berthoud and Loveland Passes as well the I-70 approaches to the Eisenhower Tunnel.įor much of the Denver metro area, a total of 15 to 25 inches of snow is expected with about half piling up by Saturday night and the remainder falling on Sunday. The I-70 mountain corridor between Denver and Avon is also under a Winter Storm Watch starting at 5 p.m. The entire I-25 urban corridor from Colorado Springs to Denver to Cheyenne is under a Winter Storm Watch starting at midnight Friday night through midnight Sunday night.

The slow pace will contribute to enormous accumulation in many areas starting late Friday night. DENVER (CBS4) - The powerful storm expected to bring historic snowfall to Denver and a large portion of Colorado this weekend has slowed down.

Denver weather snow totals