Forecasters aren’t mincing words: A big snow is headed for Denver this weekend.
“Dead-on,” National Weather Service meteorologist Frank Benton said of Denver’s chances for hefty accumulations. “I would bet my life on it.”
The closer to the mountains, the higher the accumulations, he said.
“Depending on where you are along the Front Range, you could be looking at 2 feet by Saturday afternoon,” he said.
Forecasters expect the monitor at Denver International Airport to get 2 to 5 inches by this morning, another 5 to 9 inches this afternoon and 4 to 7 inches again tonight.
The metro region could pick up another 3 inches Saturday morning before the afternoon high slips into the 40s, Benton said.
A winter weather warning is in effect for much of the state through noon Saturday for northeast and north-central Colorado, with accumulations up to 3 feet in the mountains and foothills east of the Continental Divide.
The wet snow should melt quickly once the storm passes — with forecasted highs in the mid-40s Sunday, the 50s on Monday and the low 70s on Tuesday.
“It’s not going to stick around long,” Benton said of the snow.
Areas in the foothills and above 6,000 feet in elevation could see up to 3 feet of snow.
Snowplows were on standby to deal with today’s commutes, but those who can avoid driving should stay off the roads, transportation and weather officials urged.
While the snow seems daunting, it’s not a death sentence for young plants by any means, said Barb Greiner, the “plant doctor” at Echter’s Greenhouse & Gardens in Arvada.
“Mother Nature is pretty resilient with these young plants,” she said. “If it’s just a little green (that’s lost), that’s no problem at all; they’ll come right back.”
Prolonged cold is a bigger enemy than deep snow because the snow can be accommodated, she said. Plastic containers, such as garbage cans and laundry baskets, can protect young buds, and wrapping a blanket around them can protect them from frost, she said.
Plastic covers should be watched, however, to make sure they don’t collapse and do more damage than the snow would, Greiner said.
“If it’s just some bulbs coming up, you could even get by with an extra layer of mulch,” she said.
Those who own trees and shrubs that are budding should give them the occasional whack with a broom to knock off the accumulation.
