DENVER – Just when you thought the Denver area was through with snow, we have a messy mix of rain and snow developing that will turn to several inches of wet, heavy snow tonight and Saturday.
A winter storm warning is in effect for most of the Front Range foothills and the greater Denver Metro area until 6 p.m. Saturday for 3-6 inches of snow in the city and northern suburbs, and 6-12 inches for the southern and western suburbs. Thundersnow is expected, which suggests snow is falling at a rate of an inch per hour.
Check out this #ThunderSnow in Centennial, CO right now. A foot of snow is possible from this storm in South #Denver #COwx @WeatherNation pic.twitter.com/U2KwX7bH1L
— Joel Barnes Weather (@JoelBarnes13) April 28, 2017
Much of the mountains could see more than a foot, and snow totals are likely to be higher south of Denver onto Colorado Springs and Trinidad.
The bulk of the storm will hit overnight with a mix of rain and snow changing to all snow after dark and continuing through early morning Saturday. The snow will slowly diminish from north to south by midday Saturday and flurries will linger through the afternoon.
The roads’ surfaces are fairly warm, so much of the snow will melt on streets and highways – the exception being I-25 south of Denver to Colorado Springs and roads and highways in the mountains and foothills. Watch out on bridges and ramps though, as the roads surfaces get cold much faster due to the chilly air circulating underneath.
The snow will accumulate on grassy surfaces, but it will pack down fairly fast, so you may not see the accumulation appear as high as the forecast. The wet, slushy snow will be great for building a snowman, but back breaking if you have to shovel it – be careful, shoveling is extremely hard work.
View: Current weather conditions
The snow will end early Saturday evening, with clearing skies and very cold temperatures Sunday morning. Lows will dip to the upper teens to low 20s around the Denver area!
All of you who decided to plant your gardens during last weekend’s beautiful weather might be re-planting again after this weekend. But if you're able, suspend a blanket over your garden to protect the heavy snow from weighing your plants down and freezing them. Buckets also work for smaller plants.
Also, be sure to wrap your exposed outside pipes and to turn the basement water off for any sprinkler systems to be sure the pipes don't burst.
The forecasted snow in Denver might be a make-or-break event for the record books. We’re currently on track to have the least snowy winter in recorded history in the city – a record set in the 1888-89 winter, when Denver saw only 21.3 inches of snow.
But anything more than 2 inches at DIA will mean we stay above the record level.
Get your latest weather conditions and forecast at the Denver7 weather page. You can also download our SnowCast app or Storm Shield app.
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