A spring storm that is moving slowly across Colorado is expected to dump more than 2 feet of snow in parts of the mountains by the end of Friday.
However, in the Denver area, forecasters say the operative term is “rain-snow mix.”
“There’s warmer air that will be moving in overnight (Thursday); that will likely keep things more on the rain side on Friday,” said Kari Bowen of the National Weather Service in Boulder. “There may be a little snow early, but by the afternoon there would even be thunderstorms.”
The Weather Service has extended a winter storm warning through Saturday morning for Jackson, Larimer, Grand, Boulder, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Summit, Park and Douglas counties.
Depending on how slowly the system moves, higher elevations in Larimer and Boulder counties could see up to 3 feet of heavy, wet snow because of upslope winds. Western Colorado mountains could receive up to a foot.
The Front Range was expected to get 2 to 4 inches of wet snow mixed with rain overnight Thursday. Bowen said the high temperatures on Friday would likely be in the mid- to upper 40s.
However, she added, when the day comes to an end and the temperatures drop, the rain-snow mix is expected to return.
The unsettled weather is expected through the weekend. Milder air will reduce the snow threat in the city Saturday and Sunday, but a rain-snow mix is possible Monday morning, ending during the day.
Heavy snow was being blamed for several pileups involving about 60 cars and trucks on Interstate 80 in southeastern Wyoming. No deaths were reported, but about two dozen people were taken to a Cheyenne hospital.
The storm was expected to give a boost to Colorado’s below-average snowpack while also increasing the danger of avalanches.
