Light to moderate rain began falling Tuesday night in the Denver metro area as snow was reported in parts of the high Colorado Rockies.
The Denver area could get steady rain through Wednesday and Thursday, said Bob Kleya, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Boulder.
A cold front from the north will dramatically effect the weather in the next few days, he said.
Temperatures are expected to drop about 20 degrees from the low 70s on Tuesday to the high 40s and low 50s on Wednesday.
In the mountains, rain changed to snow at higher elevations after sunset Tuesday.
The weather service posted a winter weather advisory for some mountain areas over 9,000 feet in elevation in the northern and central Rockies including Breckenridge, Berthoud Pass, Rocky Mountain National Park and Winter Park.
The weather advisory started at 9 p.m. Tuesday and runs until noon Wednesday.
The first significant snow of the season is expected in some areas above 10,000 feet and the snow line could drop to 9,000 feet, the weather service reports. Snow accumulations of up to 10 inches is possible in some areas above 10,000 feet elevation.
Drivers and travelers in the mountains should expect winter conditions.
The front range will dry out on Friday and temperatures will creep back up to the 60s Saturday and Sunday.
The average temperature for Oct. 20 in Denver is 64 degrees.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, kmitchell@denverpost.com or @kirkmitchell or
