Biggest snowstorm of the season may be headed for Denver
Winter weather is set to return for the Rockies this week. AccuWeather meteorologists also warn the snow may cause travel woes for the region.
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AccuWeather forecasters expect the Colorado Rockies to be the site of another helping of heavy snow this week, with the potential for wintry weather and blizzard conditions to snarl travel.
Mild conditions were in place to start the week, with afternoon high temperatures soaring into the 60s on Tuesday, a level more typical of late March. In typical spring fashion, a pattern change is set to bring a return to more wintry conditions soon.
A storm bringing coastal rain and mountain snow to the Northwest early this week is forecast to dive southeastward as the week progresses, delivering a round of plowable snow to the Rockies by the middle of the week.
Snow began across Utah late Tuesday and Tuesday night, and flakes are expected to fly south and east into Arizona, southern Wyoming and Colorado into Wednesday.
"Widespread snow amounts of 6-12 inches are expected as the second half of the week progresses," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff.
The forecast for over half a foot of snow also includes the Denver Metro area, which is currently forecast to have 6-10 inches of snow from late Wednesday into Friday. Higher snowfall amounts, climbing to over a foot, are most likely in the mountainous terrain just west and south of the city.
The heaviest snowstorm of the cold weather season occurred in late October in the Denver metro area. Denver International Airport picked up 7.5 inches of snow on Oct. 28-29. There have been some other big storms over the winter, but these have been concentrated over the mountains and foothills and generally avoided the downtown area and the airport. It is not uncommon for the biggest snowstorms of the season to occur at either end of the cold weather season rather than the middle of the winter in Denver.
"The snow from this storm is expected to be wet, heavy and clingy, which may result in power outages and down trees, especially in areas where a foot or more snow accumulates," Duff warned.
As the storm progresses, the snow may turn to a more powdery consistency. The powdery snow, in addition to gusty winds, can lead to reduced visibility and even blizzard conditions, from eastern Wyoming through eastern Colorado.
Both the heavy snow and the blowing snow are likely to slow travel for people at Denver International Airport and motorists on local roads and highways like Interstate 25 and 70.
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