Snow began falling Thursday evening in Denver as a storm system moves into the Front Range threatening to drop up to five inches of snow.
By the end of day, the National Weather Service says, snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches are possible.
Further east on the plains, a tornado warning was issued for the Kit Carson and Cheyenne Wells area early in the evening. The warnings had expired by 7 p.m. as the system moved eastward, however the weather service said one tornado touched down briefly in rural Cheyenne County near the town of Arapahoe, making it the first official touchdown of the year.
Thursday evening, westbound Interstate 70 was closed near Morrison because of an accident. The highway reopened at about 10 p.m.
Colorado State Patrol Trooper Josh Lewis said driving conditions throughout the metro Denver area were poor and likely contributed to the accident. No one was injured, Lewis said.
To the south, winds of up to 60 mph were reigniting a wildfire near Fowler and U.S. 50 was being close in the area because of blowing smoke and dust.
On Friday, snow is expected mainly before 1 a.m. in Denver as temperatures drop to about 24 degrees.
New snow accumulations of 1 to 2 inches are possible by the Friday morning commute, the weather service says. Forecasters are calling for mostly clear skies on Friday with a low of about 27 degrees and a high of 47.
Sunshine and warmth is expected to return this weekend with a high of 62 on Saturday and a high of 70 on Sunday, the weather service forecasts.
