Denverites can bask in above-average temperatures to end the week as 2016 fades away before an Arctic system reminds everyone early next week that it is still very much winter.
Plenty of sunshine is expected Thursday in the Denver area as a soft southeast breeze drifts over the metro area. But by the middle of next week Denver expect a “harsh return to cold” and below-zero temperatures, according to meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Boulder.
The high temperature will be around 50 degrees Thursday, NWS forecasters predict.
Thursday night, temperatures will dip to 31 degrees as winds from the southwest build up, gusting to about 20 mph.
It’ll be even warmer on Friday as brisk winds from the southwest gust as high as 21 mph, the NWS says, as the Chinook pattern brings even stronger winds near the foothills.
The high will be around 63 degrees, which is about 18 degrees above normal, under mostly cloudy skies.
On Saturday, the last day of 2016, the high will be 42 degrees.
By the time fireworks start blasting in the sky above downtown Denver temperatures will be fading below freezing to a low approaching 22 degrees.
The first day of 2017 will be mostly sunny with a high near 47 degrees for the Broncos’ final game of the season, facing Oakland at home Sunday afternoon.
According to the forecast, “the first taste of colder air will likely arrive Sunday night, with much stronger reinforcements by Tuesday/Wednesday.”
With the arrival of the Arctic system, there is a chance of light snow Monday and the high will stay below freezing and top out at around 29 degrees, the NWS predicts. The low will be around 5 degrees overnight Monday into Tuesday.
There’s another chance of snow on Tuesday, with a high near 17 degrees. That night, temperatures could drop to minus-1.
There’s another slight chance of snow early Wednesday, but even though the sun will make an appearance, the high temperatures is not expected to get above 10 degrees.
