The first big snow storm of the year will drop up to 5 inches of snow in the Denver metro area and a foot in the foothills on Monday, forecasters say.
The low was right at the freezing level of 32 degrees Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder. The high temperature will only climb to 34 degrees on Monday.
“Be on the lookout for variable road conditions,” said David Barjenbruch, NWS meteorologist. “So far its been a little more on the light side.”
Roads in the foothills will be snow covered. In the metro area, the roads are wet and occasionally slushy, Barjenbruch said. He warned that the heavy wet snow could cause tree limbs to snap and fall onto power lines, triggering power outages.
There is a freeze warning in place for the Denver area until 10 a.m. on Tuesday and a winter storm warning until 3 p.m. in Denver.
“Temperatures will be cold enough for roads to become snow covered in the mountains and foothills, while in lower elevations some slush and snow may also accumulate on roads by the Monday morning commute, with secondary roads, bridges, and overpasses being the most prone,” the weather service says.
Barjenbruch said Genesee reported 5 inches of new snow. Another 2 to 6 inches of snow could fall in the foothills, he said.
For the most part, snow is not accumulating on major highways. Between 1 and 2 inches of snow was expected before sunrise and another 1 to 3 inches of snow is expected during the day.
A hard freeze is forecast for Monday night. Temperatures will drop to about 25 degrees, the weather service says.
The rest of the week it will be mostly sunny and temperatures will be on the rise. By Thursday, the high could be 71 degrees.
The highs will drop back into the 60s on Friday and Saturday and in the upper 50s on Sunday, the NWS says.
