Snowstorm to roll southward through the Rockies, including Denver this week
A widespread snowfall is in store for the Rockies that may have skiers happy but travelers concerned this week. A potent Pacific storm is upcoming for the Northwest at week's end.
A reckless driver lost control on a slick stretch of Interstate 70 near Silverthorne, Colorado, on Nov. 30, narrowly avoiding a crash as their vehicle skidded across lanes before veering into roadside snow and regaining control.
A storm will continue to move southward into Wednesday night over the Rockies, from Colorado to New Mexico, producing slippery travel and disruptions to plans, except for skiing.
Enough could fall to create slippery conditions and exacerbate travel issues in areas beyond the Midwest and the Northeast. A broad area where 1-3 inches of snow is expected is forecast over much of Montana, Wyoming and central and western Colorado, with locally higher amounts.
Denver is forecast to receive 3 inches or so of snow, and the storm would be the city's biggest of the year so far. Heavier amounts of snow are expected in the foothills to the west of the city and across the Palmer Divide to the south. Prior to the storm's arrival, the city had measured only 0.2 of an inch of snow, compared to a historical average of 9.3 inches by Dec. 1. Snow in Denver began Tuesday night and will continue through Wednesday afternoon. Airline passengers should anticipate delays due to slippery runways and deicing operations.
Hazardous travel is expected along hundreds of miles of Interstate 25 with the storm in Colorado and northern Mew Mexico.
A few snowflakes fell across Salt Lake City Tuesday night, and only 0.10 of an inch of snow has fallen across the city for the season so far. The typical snowfall through Dec. 1 is 7.5 inches. Meanwhile, the railroad and highway hub of Cheyenne, Wyoming, has received 2.3 inches of snow, compared to a historical average of 14.4 inches. The storm is forecast to bring 1-2 inches on Wednesday.
Snow is expected to extend farther south into southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Around 6-10 inches of snow is predicted around Colorado Springs. A general 6-12 inches of snow is likely to blanket the Colorado Rockies and the mountains of northern New Mexico, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 20 inches, by the middle of the week.
The storm and its fresh natural powder will be a skier's delight for those who have been waiting for the first substantial storm of the winter season.
Polar vortex activity to drive Arctic blast in Plains, Midwest
The coldest air of the season so far, associated with a shift of the polar vortex, is expected to invade the north-central United States in the wake of the storm.
Even though the core of the Arctic plunge is expected to be directed east of the Rockies, it could lead to below-zero temperatures over the northern portion of the Plains at times, with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures well below zero for many hours.
More weather of note for western US this week
In the wake of the storm dropping southward over the Rockies, a period of gusty winds may affect parts of Southern California.
The plentiful rainfall in recent months could help keep the wildfire risk to a minimum. However, wind gusts may become strong enough in some open areas, through canyons and over passes to lead to sporadic power outages and increase the risk of high-profile vehicle rollovers.
"A storm forecast to enter the Northwest late this week may have a long connection to Pacific moisture, known as an atmospheric river," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
That storm is forecast to bring locally heavy low-elevation rain and mountain snow, as well as pockets of ice, in portions of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia. The storm is expected to cause travel issues in the region from Thursday night to the start of the weekend. Interstates 5, 15, 82, 84 and 94 are likely to be affected, as well as Canada Highway 1. Along I-5, enough rain may fall to lead to flooding in areas of poor drainage, including in Vancouver, Seattle and Portland, Oregon.
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