Nov. 26 update: Updated forecast: Up to 3 more feet of snow forecast for mountains, storm moves to Denver overnight. Check out the latest Colorado road conditions, snow totals for Nov. 25-26 and avalanche warnings.
Previous reporting: Another major winter storm is expected to blanket Colorado’s mountains with a foot or more of snow starting tonight and lighter snow is likely across metro Denver ahead of Thanksgiving, according to the National Weather Service.
RELATED: Colorado snow totals for Nov. 25, 2024
Folks traveling for the holiday can expect heavy snow in the mountains starting after midnight Tuesday and continuing through Wednesday night, with 2 feet of snow or more , forecasters said Monday.
Colorado’s mountains will start seeing accumulating snow tonight, with the heaviest snow and difficult road conditions starting Tuesday afternoon, said Ayesha Wilkinson, a meteorologist with the NWS Boulder office.
Snow is expected to fall at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour in the mountains through Tuesday night, Wilkinson said.
“Widespread travel impacts can be expected for all mountain routes, as well as road closures,” NWS forecasters said in a Hazardous Weather Outlook. “Any wet roads Wednesday afternoon across the urban corridor and plains will freeze overnight, leading to slick roads Thanksgiving morning.”
Only a few inches of snow are forecast for most of metro Denver, though I-25 drivers south of the city can expect to see up to 6 inches through Castle Rock and 4 inches through Colorado Springs.
Colorado Department of Transportation officials also urged drivers to plan their trips to avoid the heaviest snowfall and to be prepared for adverse road conditions.
A will be in effect from 3 a.m. Tuesday to 11 p.m. Wednesday.
According to Monday afternoon forecasts, total expected snowfalls include:
- Up to 2 inches in Denver
- Up to 3 inches in Boulder
- Up to 8 inches in Evergreen
- Up to 6 inches in Castle Rock
- Up to 4 inches in Colorado Springs
- Up to 12 inches in Granby
- Up to 24 inches in Vail
- Up to 18 inches in Breckenridge
- Up to 12 inches in Fairplay
- Up to 16 inches in Leadville
Eastern Plains communities will see a few inches or less of snow, and the storm is expected to wrap up across the state around 11 p.m. Wednesday, forecasters said.
Cold weather will continue for the rest of the week after Thanksgiving, with temperature highs in the mid-30s across the Denver area and in the teens across the mountains.
