The National Weather Service in Denver this afternoon issued the first winter storm watch of the season and signaled the first chance for measurable snow for the city this season.
A “potent upper-level storm system” is expected to roll across the Rockies from the west Tuesday and collide with a cold front, dropping 6 inches on the northern Front Range and as much as 16 inches on locations above 9,000 feet east of the Continental Divide by Wednesday.
In the city, rain Tuesday is expected to turn to snow Tuesday night, and “may become heavy at times,” according to the winter storm watch.
The arrival is just a little later than normal. Denver’s average date for its first snowfall is Oct. 21. The city normally gets about 4 inches in October.
The weather service warned people to keep an eye on their trees during the early-season storm. Most still have leaves that could catch snow and snap branches under the weight, forecasters warned.
Roads could become snowpacked in the high country, as temperatures fall into the teens and single digits above 9,000 feet.
After highs in the low 80s Monday, the Front Range should top out at 54 degrees Tuesday with a low of 29 by midnight.
Wednesday, forecasters expect a high of 34 degrees with a 60 percent chance of more snow.
Temperatures should warm to 42 on Thursday, 49 on Friday and 55 Saturday and next Sunday, according to the forecast.
