Winter rang, and more snow is on the way for the Rockies
Snow is on tap for places such as Denver as the week progresses, but the Arctic cold that will accompany the winter precipitation is expected to be even more noteworthy.
AccuWeather meteorologists are tracking a burst of Arctic air that will give much of the central U.S. a taste of midwinter cold.
Winter seemingly arrived full steam ahead across portions of the Midwest and Northeast this week as Mother Nature unloaded disruptive snow and early-season cold, and the wintry conditions won't be letting up anytime soon with a potentially historic lake-effect snow event on tap for areas downwind of the Great Lakes into the weekend. AccuWeather meteorologists say that the opposite side of the country won't be immune to hits from wintry weather in the coming days either.
A wave of cold air and winter precipitation will soon visit parts of the Intermountain West, potentially causing disruptions for any travelers looking to head to Thanksgiving destinations early.
"A cold front diving southward along the spine of the Rockies is expected to bring accumulating snow to the Front Range and High Plains into the day on Friday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham explained.
The storm has already brought snow to parts of the Canadian and northern Rockies as well as central Wyoming as of Thursday morning, and snowfall has not been limited to just the higher elevations.
Snow blanketed portions of central Montana Wednesday evening, including in Billings, where around 3 inches of snow. Farther south in areas close to Casper, Wyoming, 2 inches of snow fell Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
Cold air will continue to dive farther south through Friday, allowing winter precipitation to spread along with it. Winter storm warnings and advisories are already in place through Friday morning from Fort Collins to Boulder, Colorado and into the western suburbs of Denver.
Flakes began to fly in Denver and the Colorado Rockies early Thursday afternoon with the steadiest snow continuing to march into the Mile High City as of late Thursday afternoon. The Denver metropolitan area could pick up a quick 2 to 4 inches, while Boulder could pick up 4 to 6 inches into Friday morning, while an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 10 inches could potentially fall in the Rockies.
AccuWeather meteorologists say that even though there is not a lot of moisture available to bring major snowfall to Denver, the bitterly cold air in place could create treacherous travel conditions nonetheless.
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"The storm is not expected to feature an impressive amount of moisture, but with sub-freezing temperatures already in place in these areas, snow can quickly stick to the ground and to roadways, making things messy in just a short time period," Buckingham said.
Potential traffic headaches could be in store for the Friday morning commute in the Denver area. Residents will also need to bundle up as AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures on Friday morning are expected to range from zero to 10 degrees Fahrenheit east of the Colorado Rockies.
The cold might end up being even more notable than the snow itself, according to AccuWeather forecasters. Many locales could challenge record overnight lows and record low afternoon high temperatures late this week as Arctic air spills in from Canada.
High temperatures from Idaho to northern Texas will be more reminiscent of overnight lows for this time of year as the mercury may reach only the teens to the upper 20s Friday afternoon. For example, Colorado Springs is forecast to record a high of only 18 degrees on Friday. The long-standing lowest maximum temperature for the date sits at 21 degrees and was set well over a century ago in 1903.
AccuWeather meteorologists say that the cold air is expected to begin to erode and retreat this weekend. High temperatures in the Denver area are expected to rebound into the lower 50s by Monday, making the cold air outbreak a short-lived one.
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