Denverites may have woken up to frost on their cars, wet and slick roads and some snow Thursday morning.
They likely noticed a significant temperature drop since last being outside Wednesday when the high was in the upper 70s.
The National Weather Service issued an advisory through 9 a.m. Thursday, cautioning of sub-freezing temperatures in the lower to mid 20s for the northeast plains and Interstate 25 corridor. Temperatures are expected to say below freezing Thursday, with record lows in the teens across the plains Friday morning, the advisory stated.
A winter weather advisory is in effect until 3 p.m. Thursday for the Front Range Foothills and I-25 urban corridor. Forecasters expect the area to receive 1-3 inches of snow Thursday morning with freezing drizzle and some ice accumulation. Wind gusts are expected to get to 40 mph, according to the advisory. Some areas of the foothills could receive up to 4 inches of snow while the mountains and western valleys could see another 2-5 inches of snow.
The forecast Thursday in Denver calls for a high of 32 degrees and a low of 17 degrees with up to 3 inches of snow possible during the day and up to an additional half inch in the evening, according to the weather service. However, the wet wintery weather likely won’t stick around for long, with the rest of the week and weekend predicted to remain mostly sunny and dry. The temperatures will likely remain colder than earlier in the week, but freezing temperatures aren’t in the current forecast.
Icy and snowy commute this morning. Forecast snowfall amounts today. Very cold temperatures today through Friday.
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder)
The weather service cautions drivers of deteriorating road conditions throughout the day, particularly along I-70.
3 AM Thursday radar: Snow showers will move over Larimer/western Weld counties & along I-70 from Vail Pass to the western Denver metro area by sunrise. Expect 1-2" of snow on the plains, with 2-4" in the mountains from this band. Road conditions will deteriorate.
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder)
Between 6-7 a.m., dispatchers received 24 reports of crashes but no serious injuries, according to Denver police on Twitter. Officers couldn’t say if all are weather-related, but they asked drivers to slow down and use extra stopping distance.
RTD buses are still in service, but some routes, including W line trains on the western part of the trip, are seeing some delays, the agency said on Twitter.
Due to weather conditions, some routes may experience delays or increased travel time. Please dress warm and allow some extra travel time this morning. You can view the location of your bus or light rail train on Next Ride here:
— RTD (@RideRTD)
