With the storm making its way into Southern Colorado this evening, you should expect conditions to go downhill during the overnight hours. By Wednesday morning, we're expecting several inches of accumulation, and the fun doesn't stop there. More will fall throughout the morning hours before tapering off during the afternoon hours.
Winter Storm Warnings have now gone into effect. These will continue through 11 pm Wednesday, even though by then, the worst of the snow and wind will be long gone.
Storm evolution and change to the forecast:
With the storm now here, let's look back at forecast trends since the weekend. Over the weekend, it was too soon to put together a confident snowfall forecast, given that the storm was still offshore and high res models were not within reach. That data doesn't become available until 2-3 days out.
First Alert 5 showed our forecast for snow beginning Monday morning. Here's those trends.
Storm Timing:
Snow is expected to increase in coverage through 10-11 pm, with some of the heaviest snow expected to fall during the overnight hours.
Overnight, most of our accumulation will be along and west of I-25. By 4 am Tuesday morning, we'll start to bring accumulations east of the interstate, with more snow in the Plains through Wednesday afternoon.
The winds will be strongest after 10 am Wednesday, which could lead to blizzard-like conditions for travelers along and east of I-25. This includes whiteout conditions. Travel is not recommended during the peak of the storm.
Snow Totals:
This will be a high-impact storm based on our current forecast snow totals.
The Wet Mountains, Wet Mountain Valley, Sangre De Cristos, and Raton Mesa will see the heaviest snow across the region.
Trinidad and I-25 south through Raton Pass could become impassable Wednesday with the heaviest accumulations expected through Raton Pass.
Monument Hill, Teller County, and the mountains of Fremont County will be a close second.
We'll see the bulk of our Pikes Peak Region accumulation between 10 pm tonight and noon Wednesday.
The heaviest snow will fall on the west and north sides of town. We should see roughly half of this snow by Wednesday morning, meaning work commutes will be slick and dangerous.
Many school districts have already made the decision to cancel classes on Wednesday. Stay tuned to News 5 for the latest.
Pueblo, the Arkansas River Valley, and the Wet Mountains will have dramatically different snow totals through Wednesday afternoon.
We'll see nearly impossible driving conditions in and around the Wet Mountains from tonight through Wednesday afternoon. Pueblo will become snow-covered tonight, but accumulations will probably pick up by Wednesday morning.
How Windy:
We'll see gusty winds tonight as the snow starts to fall, but the strongest winds will actually be through the afternoon Wednesday.
As a low pressure region strengthens in the Texas Panhandle, we'll see daytime wind gusts climb into the 30 and 45 mph range.
I-25 will be very windy Wednesday afternoon, but stronger winds are expected east of the interstate with lower and flatter ground.
How Cold:
No matter how much snow falls... it's going to be cold.
Temperatures will fall below 20 degrees by Wednesday morning, and we'll stay that way through Thursday morning.
Wind chills will likely stay at or below zero from 10 am Wednesday through 10 am Thursday.
Resources:
- Get your latest First Alert 5 Weather Forecast
- Find the current school closing and delay list
- Keep track of flight delays at Denver International Airport or the Colorado Springs Airport
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