April Arctic cold, snow to blast Rockies

Even though the calendar says mid-April, AccuWeather meteorologists say not to put away the shovels just yet. Wintry weather is expected to keep spring at bay early this week as below-normal temperatures and more snow are on the horizon for cities like Cheyenne, Wyoming, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Denver.

Alongside high temperatures rebounding to near-normal territory on Sunday, conditions were largely dry across Wyoming and Colorado. However, this was short-lived as a dramatic change began early Monday.

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A crazy weather whiplash is underway for the Rockies as a cold front with a blast of Arctic air advances southward. High temperatures on Monday will struggle to reach 30 degrees in communities like Casper and Cheyenne, while Denver is forecast to reach the low 40s. These temperatures are expected to be a 10 to 20-degree drop from Sunday's high temperatures.

As cold air advances across the Rockies and the central Plains, snow will begin to spread across the northern tier of the country on Sunday.

"Through Sunday night, any accumulating snow was largely confined to portions of Minnesota, in addition to areas north of the United States border into Alberta and British Columbia," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said.

By Monday and Monday night, snow will progress southward and reach the I-25 corridor in Wyoming and Colorado.

"Accumulating snow will also expand eastward and bring winter back to portions of South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas for Monday and Monday night," Gilbert explained.

Residents in Denver could wake up Tuesday morning to 1-3 inches of snow on the ground and in Cheyenne, 2-4 inches. Snow totals could approach the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 18 inches, mainly in the higher elevations of Wyoming or Montana.

This is enough snow to disrupt travel in the region, especially on Monday afternoon into Monday night. Motorists should be cautious of rapidly changing road conditions.

"Even locations like Omaha, Nebraska, and Wichita, Kansas, will flirt with accumulating snow Monday night and may spot some white patches on grassy surfaces for the Tuesday morning commute," Gilbert said.

This next bout of snow will be the second time within a week's time that major cities like Denver get hit with accumulating snowfall.

The Mile High City has already nearly received its average monthly snowfall for April, 7 inches. Loveland, Colorado, has seen more than its fair share of snowfall so far this month. The average snowfall for the month of April in Loveland is almost 4 inches and just over 4 inches has already fallen as of April 15. With half of the month to go, this snow event coming up would put these locations on course for one of the snowiest Aprils on record.

Fortunately for residents who are tired of winterlike conditions, this round of snow will exit the Rockies and portions of the Plains rather quickly, with many areas likely snow-free by early Tuesday, according to Gilbert.

While snow is falling Monday and Monday night, Arctic air will be spreading across these areas with low temperatures expected to approach record levels. The low temperature in Denver Monday night is set to reach 17 degrees, which is only 4 degrees from reaching the record of 13 degrees set back in 1966.

Warmer days are on the horizon as temperatures will gradually rebound as the middle of the week comes around in cities like Denver, Loveland and Cheyenne as the core of the cold air shift eastward. The jet stream pattern will lift north and near-normal conditions are anticipated by Thursday.

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