A cold wind interrupted by cracks of thunder and accompanied by intermittent drizzle or snow flurries will greet Colorado travelers this weekend.
All in all, a typical fall in the Rockies.
In the Denver metro area, .13 of rain drizzled onto Denver International Airport and the temperature hovered at a chilly 40 degrees at 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Heavier rain was forecast in areas west of Interstate 25, drizzle and fog to the east.
“We do expect overnight some snow mixed with rain,” said Carl Burroughs, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Boulder, but little if any accumulation.
Tonight and Monday night, much of metro Denver may see its first frosts this autumn.
In the northern and central mountains, the weather service has issued a winter weather advisory. Between 3 and 9 inches of snow are expected, starting Saturday night and gradually tapering off today.
The heaviest snows are expected to spread northward across Park and Summit counties. The eastern slope of the Front Range could see snow at 7,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level.
People going through the Eisenhower Tunnel today could see streaks of lightning, have gusts of wind topping 55 mph hit their vehicles and have to plow through icy slush.
On Sunday, temperatures are expected to rise as high as 48 degrees with a 20 percent chance of rain in Denver. At night, there will be a slight chance for rain and snow.
Temperatures will drop to as low as 13 degrees tonight in the mountains and the wind-chill factor could bring them down to about zero.
On Monday — Columbus Day — temperatures are expected to rise again to the high 40s in the Denver area and the low 40s in the mountains.
