The morning commute in Denver will be slushy, but areas north of Interstate 70 — the central mountains, northern foothills and northeast Colorado — will deal with heavy, wet snow.
A storm is expected to leave 1 to 4 inches of snow on the metro region. Nearly three- quarters of an inch of rain fell on downtown Denver on Tuesday afternoon before temperatures fell low enough to create snow about 9 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
The track of the storm could vary widely, greatly influencing how much snow and rain falls in the foothills and metro area, forecasters said.
Denver Public Works officials were monitoring the storm and expecting about an inch of accumulation by this morning and perhaps 1 to 3 inches today.
City and Colorado Department of Transportation crews were not applying de-icers to roads and bridges.
“Pavements will be warm throughout, so at most, we may see some mild slush, mostly on elevated structures, building up before latent heat from the pavement causes it to melt off,” the city of Denver said in a statement. “No ice is expected as pavement temperatures will drop only slightly to freezing levels.”
CDOT plows will concentrate on higher elevations, particularly around Boulder, Loveland and the I-70 mountain corridor to prevent icing and possible snowpack, the department said.
Trees and plants could sustain damage from the spring storm, and morning commuters in the city could face slick roads in some areas, officials warned.
Denver Public Works advised residents to keep brooms handy to swat accumulating snow from branches and shrubs and prevent damage.
The low in Denver overnight was expected to be about 33 degrees before warming into the 40s today, the 50s on Thursday, and back into the 60s for the weekend, according to the Weather Service.
Some areas above 6,000 feet could see between 1 and 2 feet before the storm moves out this evening, according to the afternoon forecast.
Snow could be intense in the foothills of Larimer and Boulder counties today, falling at 1 to 2 inches an hour at times, if the current track holds, forecasters said.
The forecast calls for just a couple of inches in southern Jefferson and Douglas counties. Clear Creek, Gilpin and northern Jefferson counties are expected to receive up to 10 inches.
