Nearly 2 feet of snow is expected in the Colorado mountains by this afternoon, the third heavy snow week in a row for some areas.
Skiers will have a range of slopes open across the state for the Thanksgiving weekend.
Many areas of the high country already have more than a foot of base snow, with 32 inches at Rabbit Ears Pass, 22 inches on Fremont Pass and 16 inches at Hoosier Pass, according to Natural Resource Conservation Service snow monitors.
An avalanche watch is in effect through today for the San Juan and Elk mountains, Ruby and Park ranges, and Grand Mesa, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
The metro region, meanwhile, is expected to remain sunny and moderate, with highs in the upper 40s, until Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
High temperatures Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be at or below freezing each day, forecasters said. Temperatures are expected to return to the upper 40s in the metro area Friday and mid-50s on Saturday.
Denver so far has received just 4 inches of snow, including 1.5 inches in November, all of which was recorded on Nov. 15. For the season, the city is at about half of its average, according to weather records.
On Wednesday, ski resorts open at Crested Butte, Monarch and Steamboat, according to Colorado Ski Country USA.
Aspen Mountain, Durango, Ski Cooper, Snowmass and Telluride open on Thanksgiving.
