Tonight's Forecast:
Another warm day is ahead in southern Colorado Thursday, but just a hair cooler than our mid-60s highs on Wednesday as a broad and unusually potent ridge of high pressure shifts east - with low 60s for most of us on tap. Expect mainly sunny skies in the morning with clouds increasing during the mid-afternoon as moisture begins flowing into the area ahead of our well-advertised weekend winter storm.
Colorado Springs forecast: Low: 32; High: 60;
Clearing skies through the rest of the evening with lows 10 degrees above average. Northwest winds at 5-10 mph.
Pueblo forecast: Low: 29; High: 62;
Clear skies - pleasant and crisp. Northwest winds at 10-15 mph.
Canon City forecast: Low: 34; High: 61;
Clearing skies, with clear skies after midnight. West winds at 10-15 mph.
Woodland Park forecast: Low: 27; High: 47;
Clearing skies with northwest winds at 10-15 mph.
Tri-Lakes forecast: Low: Upper 20s; High: 50s;
Partly cloudy through midnight, then clear. Northwest winds at 5-10 mph.
Plains forecast: Low: Upper 20s; High: 60s;
Mainly clear, with west winds at 15-20 mph.
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: Low: 31/33; High: 61;
Partly cloudy with west winds at 15-20 mph.
Mountains forecast: Low: 25; High: 40s/50s;
Mostly cloudy through 8PM, then partly cloudy through midnight, then clear. West winds at 15-20 mph.
Extended outlook forecast:
Today is the last nice day for the next several folks, so if you want to get outside - do it now! Snow will move into Colorado from southwest to northeast on Friday, but temperatures will remain fairly warm.
Snow showers begin for our higher terrain such as Woodland Park Friday afternoon. A few light rain showers are also possible on the plains. As our low strengthens early Saturday morning, we'll see snow along the Front Range corridor, which will be heavy and wet - not the "powdered sugar" type we see most of the time.
Our snow levels will start out around 7,000 feet, falling to 6,500 feet Saturday morning. That means if you're west of I-25, expect snow Saturday morning. East of I-25, expect a mix. Through the day highs will warm into the upper 30s to low 40s, before falling back in the evening. Snow will fall through the day, but looks heaviest right now during the afternoon/evening period. This will not be powdered sugar snow: this will be heavy, wet "snowball making" snow.
Snow will come to an end on Sunday as dry air begins to return, with mild conditions returning to start next week.
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Curious about the First Alert 5 Weather Storm Impact Scale? Check out our cheatsheet explainer.
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