Tonight's Forecast:
A strong mid-level low that will strengthen over the eastern Plains this evening will cause our weather to go quickly downhill even before midnight. At the same time, a cold front will move into Southern Colorado. Both of these weather features will bring snow, cold and wind to the forecast through Tuesday morning. While we still think that the worst of the storm will hit the northeastern Plains, conditions locally could still be pretty bad at times into Tuesday morning.
With the current storm track in play, we think that some of the worst impacts from the storm will impact the lower Arkansas River Valley, from Pueblo east into Otero County. Another area to watch closely will be Teller County and northern El Paso County. On top of accumulating snowfall, wind gusts to 45 mph will be possible after midnight, which could lead to whiteout conditions. Take it easy on the roads if you're going to be out in the middle of the night.
Colorado Springs forecast: Low: 22; High: 33; If you see this before bed, my advice would be to set your alarm about 15 minutes earlier than normal because of expected impacts from tonight's winter storm. Snow amounts will vary across the city from under 1" in the downtown and southern suburbs to anywhere between 1-3" on the north side of town. With gusts to 40 mph into the day on Tuesday, expect some impacts to travel, especially during the morning hours.
Pueblo forecast: Low: 23; High: 41; Although the worst of the storm should stay to our east, there's the potential for at least a couple inches of snow to fall in the Pueblo area through Tuesday morning, especially for areas east of I-25. If you're driving into the Plains tomorrow, check the forecast first as snow and blowing snow could hit eastern and northeastern parts of the state especially hard.
Canon City forecast: Low: 27; High: 40; Areas around Canon City shouldn't see much snow from tonight's storm, with totals expected to remain well under an inch. The windy side of this storm is likely to be a bigger deal, with gusts up to 45 mph tonight and Tuesday.
Woodland Park forecast: Low: 14; High: 27; Snow and wind from late tonight into the first part of our Tuesday will be a pretty big deal for Teller County versus other parts of Southern Colorado. With gusts to 50 mph, near zero visibility will be possible during the storm, a storm that looks to deliver as much as 2-4" of snow.
Tri-Lakes forecast: Low: 10s/20s; High: 20s; Much colder air will move in on Tuesday following tonight's storm. Snow from the storm looks to range from 2-4" for the Palmer Divide, and while snow totals won't necessarily be super high, wind-driven snowfall and near-zero visibility could make travel difficulty from after midnight into tomorrow morning.
Plains forecast: Low: 20s; High: 30s/40s; The biggest impacts from tonight and Tuesday's storm will occur over the Plains. The hardest hit area for snow will be the northeastern Plains. Areas here will be under Blizzard Warnings on Tuesday. A burst of heavier snow is also possible along the Arkansas River Valley, where up to 4" of snow could fall in some areas. The Plains will also see the worst of the wind, with gusts for the eastern counties up over 60 mph.
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: Low: 10s/20s; High: 20s/30s; Cold and windy weather will hammer the southern I-25 corridor from late tonight into the day on Tuesday. Snow collection will be few and far between in this part of the state, with maybe a light dusting in some areas. With wind the bigger story, gusts over the next 24 hours could reach 50-60 mph.
Mountains forecast: Low: 25; High: 50; The heaviest snow from this storm is not expected hit the Sangres or Wets, but rather the San Juans and our state's northern mountain ranges. In the southeastern mountains, strong winds, cold air and dangerous wind chill vallues will be the big story into Tuesday. As for snow totals...most areas will only pick up 1-3" from this storm.
Extended outlook forecast:
Cold and windy weather will linger behind Tuesday's storm, with highs Tuesday and Wednesday expected to come up well below average for this time of the year. A second cold front that arrives on Thursday will bring a reinforcing shot of cold air to the region as we head towards the weekend. Additional light snow will be possible as well late this week, but for now, we're not seeing anything that's more than 1-2" of accumulation.
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Curious about the First Alert 5 Weather Storm Impact Scale? Check out our cheatsheet explainer.
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