Today’s Forecast:
As I've been saying all week - Albuquerque low, weatherman's woe, and today that low brings its final round of snow to Southern Colorado. As the low tracks northeast toward the southeast corner of the state this afternoon, strong upslope flow will ramp up region-wide. Snow has begun over the southern and eastern plains and continues to move northwest into the I-25 corridor. Snow will increase in intensity, heavy at times from late morning to the mid evening with lighter snow showers later in the evening. Areas of blowing snow will be possible, particularly over the eastern plains and the Palmer Divide where wind gusts of 25-35 mph will be possible, particularly during the afternoon and evening hours. Expect today's snow to be dense, wet, and heavy. It will be hard to shovel. Heaviest totals will again be in our southeastern plains and southern mountains where extensive to extreme impacts are likely. Due to slightly warmer temperatures today, snow is most likely to stick to roads when rates are heavy. Lighter snow will mainly stick to grassy surfaces during the daytime hours at elevations of 6,000 feet and below.
Snow will wrap up early Saturday morning. We expect totals with this latest batch of snow will range from 5-8" in downtown Colorado Springs and at the airport, 7-10" in Manitou, 8-12" in Briargate, 12-18" in Woodland Park, and 10-16" in Monument.
Colorado Springs forecast: High: 33; Low: 25. Snow will pick up in intensity and coverage this morning, with periods of heavy snow expected through late this evening in the Pikes Peak Region. Snow should taper off from south to north by Saturday morning, with additional snowfall totals across town in the 5-12" range. The wind will also be stronger today, with 25-35 mph gusts.
Pueblo forecast: High: 33; Low: 26. Snow and wind will bring an intense mix of wintry weather to Pueblo County on Friday. An additional 4-8" of accumulation will be possible through late this evening as the snow is expected to taper off by early Saturday morning. Peak wind gusts today will range between 25-35 mph.
Canon City forecast: High: 34; Low: 29. Windy, cold, and snowy with highs in the low to mid 30s. Snow will become heavy at times during the morning before becoming particularly heavy during the early afternoon for a couple of hours. Snow will taper off early on Saturday morning with at least some clearing by sunrise Saturday. Expect an additional 2-5" of snow. Wind gusts will top out between 20-30 mph.
Woodland Park forecast: High: 30; Low: 20. A large amount of snow is headed to the city above the clouds today with highs below freezing. Snow increases in intensity through the morning with rates of 1-2" per hour at times this afternoon. Snow will decrease in intensity and become less continuous by early Saturday morning with a few lingering flurries before noon. Winds from the northeast at 10-15 mph with gusts to 20. New snow accumulations of 12-18". Travel will be very difficult county-wide.
Tri-Lakes forecast: High: 20s/30s; Low: 20s. Blowing snow today along with heavy snowfall rates creating periods with under 1/4 mile visibility. Afternoon wind gusts will be 25-35 mph with peak gusts of 40 mph, creating very difficult to near-impossible travel conditions at times. New accumulations of 10-16".
Plains forecast: High: 30s; Low: 20s/30s. Rain, snow, wind, and even a few rumbles of thunder - a full weather buffet for the plains today. Very strong afternoon wind gusts of 25-40 mph will create areas of blowing snow. Road conditions will be very poor and many closures have been implemented already as a result. Snow totals will vary widely based on elevation. Higher elevations will see a a wide range of 8-18" with the rain-snow line from extending from Eads/Lamar/Springfield to the east getting mostly rain.
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: High: 30s; Low: 10s/20s. Heavy snow for much of the day with a couple rumbles of thunder possible. Rates of around 1-2"/hour will be possible. Winds from the north at 10-20 mph with gusts to 25 mph, leading to pockets of blowing snow. 10-20" of new snow expected.
Mountains forecast: High: 20s; Low: Teens/20s. Snow and wind - whiteout conditions at times with wind gusts of 20-40 mph on eastern facing higher elevation slopes and snow rates of 1-3" per hour. Snow intensity will decrease around midnight and clear out Saturday morning. A wide range of totals from 6" to nearly 2 feet will be possible with highest totals in the Wet Mountains and Southern Sangres.
Extended outlook forecast:
Snowy and icy roads will still be an issue early Saturday morning with cold temperatures and lingering flurries. By lunchtime, sunshine will be returning and temperatures will warm to the low 40s. The Veteran's Day Parade should be fine to attend in the Springs, but budget a bit of extra time to get there and pack a layer.
Calmer weather arrives for the second half of the weekend with sunshine and highs climbing into the 40s and 50s across Southern Colorado. Our next weather maker, if you can call it that, is towards late Tuesday and Wednesday with a cold front. Overall, a welcome relief and return to quiet conditions after a very active week of weather.
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