Two new snowstorms are expected to hit Colorado this week — one already brewing in the mountains Sunday morning and another expected to arrive midweek, according to the National Weather Service.
So, when, where and how much snow is expected to fall across the state this week?
Most snow forecast for Colorado’s mountains
Roughly a foot of snow is expected to accumulate on Colorado’s highest summits between 5 a.m. Sunday and 5 a.m. Wednesday, .
“Travel conditions will quickly deteriorate around or shortly before sundown across the mountains,” forecasters stated in a for southern Colorado on Sunday.
Between 5 and 10 inches of snow is expected to accumulate overnight Sunday into Monday across the eastern San Juan Mountains, the higher elevations of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the Sawatch Range and the Mosquito Range, according to the outlook.
Other nearby mountains could see up to 4 inches of snow, with 1 to 2 inches across the interior valleys, forecasters said in the outlook.
Further north, a was issued for Rocky Mountain National Park, the Medicine Bow Mountain Range, the mountains of Summit County, the Indian Peaks and Rabbit Ears Pass.
The advisory will remain in effect from 11 a.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday, but the heaviest snowfall is expected Sunday afternoon and evening.
Mountains covered in the advisory will likely see between 3 and 8 inches of snow on Sunday alone, according to the weather service. Wind gusts up to 35 mph could also create blowing snow and whiteout conditions.
This week’s second wave of snow is forecast to start as early as 5 a.m. on Wednesday in the mountains and continue into Wednesday.
The strongest chance for heavy snow on many of Colorado’s mountains during that wave will be between 11 p.m. Tuesday and 10 a.m. Wednesday, according to from the weather service.
As of Sunday morning, for snow expected to accumulate by Wednesday morning included:
- 1/2 inch to 3 inches on Floyd Hill;
- 2 to 6 inches in Georgetown, on Colorado 9’s Hoosier Pass near Breckenridge and on U.S. 285’s Kenosha Pass near Fairplay;
- 3 to 8 inches at Winter Park and the Keystone Ski Area Summit, and on U.S. 6’s Loveland Pass, U.S. 40’s Berthoud Pass, U.S. 40’s Muddy Pass, Interstate 70’s Vail Pass and Colorado 14’s Cameron Pass;
- 3 to 10 inches on U.S. 40’s Rabbit Ears Pass near Steamboat Springs;
- And 5 to 14 inches on Mount Zirkel, the highest summit in the Park Range of the Rocky Mountains.
Light snow headed for the Denver area
Flurries and light snow are likely in Denver on Sunday, though little accumulation is expected, according to the weather service.
Most of the metro area can expect less than an inch of snow to stick on the ground on Sunday, but some heavy bands of the storm could drop more than 2 inches south and east of Denver, .
Denver will have a 40% chance of snow starting at 5 p.m. Sunday, and chances will jump to 60% at 7 p.m., according to from the weather service. Snow is most likely to fall in the city between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sunday.
The possibility of snow will return to the metro area early Wednesday morning, as snow expected to start Tuesday night in the mountains moves into lower elevations, according to the weather service.
Snow is likely between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday, and nearly an inch is expected to accumulate, hourly forecasts show. A slight chance for snow will remain across the metro area until nearly midnight on Wednesday.
Wind chills freeze the Eastern Plains
On the Eastern Plains, temperatures in the teens combined with blustery winds will lead to wind chills in the single digits overnight Sunday, . Less than an inch of snow is forecast for Sunday, and most will fall along the Interstate 25 corridor.
“While not much, some snow is forecast to move through the area tonight,” forecasters for the weather service’s Goodland office, which covers northeastern Colorado and parts of Nebraska and Kansas, . “Most of the area should see a trace to an inch.”
Chances for snow will return after 11 a.m. Wednesday, but the same light flurries are expected, forecasters said.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
