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Thursday Colorado snow forecast: How much to expect as heavy snow continues in mountains

Arapahoe Basin snow
Posted at 12:26 PM, Feb 05, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-07 08:57:28-05

UPDATED STORY (Friday, 7 a.m.): We have a new updated story with what you should expect across Colorado in this storm on Friday. Click here to read. The below story was last updated Thursday evening.

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DENVER — The snow returned to the mountains late Wednesday and only turned heavier overnight — and expect it to stay that way through Friday.

Some of the higher-elevation areas were expected to get up to three feet of snow before the weekend, while Denver could see several more inches, too.

The National Weather Service released its latest projected snowfall totals Thursday. The bottom line is the same: Expect a powdery weekend in the mountains, but possible travel issues if you're heading out there after work Friday.

Below is how much to expect, and where, over the next few days. But first, a quick timeline of (roughly) when to expect everything.

Timeline

Scattered and light snow showers developed in the mountains late Wednesday and turned to heavy snow by Thursday morning . The snow will increase in coverage from Thursday and continuing through Friday night. There's really not much variation in the timeline for the mountains — snow should be expected through that Friday night window, though Thursday is expected to see the heaviest snowfall, according to the National Weather Service's latest forecast discussion.

Northwest-facing mountain slopes should see the heaviest snowfall, but 1-3 feet is expected across much of the mountains. This will be a decent storm across the board.

Another issue to consider, along with the snow: Wind gusts of up to 60 mph in the higher mountain passes. This should cause blowing and drifting snow, adding to travel issues on the roads.

For Denver, it's looking like Thursday evening and Friday are when we could expect to see snow along the Front Range and plains, according to the forecast discussion. Snow totals "will generally be between 2-6 inches" along the Front Range, the forecast said.

How much to expect.

Below are the latest additional expected snowfall totals, via the NWS in Boulder, from 6 a.m. Thursday through 5 a.m. Saturday. The highest mountain town totals range from 1-2 feet, but note the darker shades of red — indicating up to 3 feet — in pockets of the mountains and higher-elevation areas.

Steamboat Springs: 19 inches

Vail: 18 inches

Aspen: 10 inches

Fraser: 10 inches

Glenwood Springs: 9 inches

Fairplay: 8 inches

Denver: 4 inches

Boulder: 3 inches

Castle Rock: 3 inches