Today’s Forecast:
Snow continues today across southern Colorado but the bulk of the accumulation is done in the Pikes Peak and Pueblo regions as the arctic system responsible continues to track south. Roads are snow covered and icy, and will remain that way all day with temperatures in the teens and wind chills near zero. Snow showers will continue off and on into the afternoon. Winds will remain breezy out of the north all day.
Radar estimated totals in the Pikes Peak Region suggest 3-5" of snow has fallen so far, and east of Pueblo toward Fowler. The best totals have been right in the downtown Colorado Springs area and south to Fountain with isolated 5-6" totals estimated by radar. Monument hill estimates are currently between 2.5-4.4 inches. This factors in snow that may have melted on contact with the ground at the start of the event, so we'll need to wait for reports to come in this afternoon for the full story.
The main story today will be the start of brutally cold temperatures and wind chills. A Cold Weather Advisory will begin at 11:00 PM tonight for northern El Paso County and extend through 5:00 PM Monday for wind chills as low as -24. This will be sufficient to reduce frostbite times to under 30 minutes tonight in this area. An Extreme Cold Watch has been issued for Monday 5:00 PM - Tuesday 11:00 AM.
Colorado Springs forecast: High: 16; Low: -3.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY in effect until 8:00 PM.
EXTREME COLD WATCH in effect from 5:00 PM MON - 11:00AM TUE
A good indoor day! Snow showers - off and on through the day. Blowing snow will reduce visibility even when it is not snowing. The bulk of accumulating snowfall occurred overnight with another Trace to 2 inches possible depending on your location in town. North winds at 15-25 mph.
Pueblo forecast: High: 20; Low: -4.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY in effect until 8:00 PM.
EXTREME COLD WATCH in effect from 5:00 PM MON - 11:00AM TUE
Bitter cold, blowing snow, and new snow accumulations all coming to Pueblo today. Expect snow to remain continuous through 12:00pm and become off-and-on after that. Expect 1-2" more snow, with isolated 3" additional amounts. Northwest winds - increasing through the day - to 20-25 mph this afternoon. Layer up if you need to be out and about.
Canon City forecast: High: 21; Low: -4.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY in effect until 8:00 PM.
EXTREME COLD WATCH in effect from 5:00 PM MON - 11:00AM TUE
Snow showers continue into the early afternoon (1-2 PM) becoming patchy after that. Additional accumulations of 1-2" expected. Warmer than other parts of the area - but still quite cold by your town's standards.
Woodland Park forecast: High: 10; Low: -11.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY in effect until 8:00 PM.
Snow showers off-and-on through the entire day. Additional snow accumulations of 1-3" with the higher totals on the north facing slopes of high or prominent terrain. Adding to the mix - a cold all-day north breeze at 20-25 mph. Expect it to look and feel a bit like the arctic tundra outside.
Tri-Lakes forecast: High: 10-15; Low: Negatives.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY in effect until 8:00 PM.
COLD WEATHER ADVISORY in effect from 11:00 PM - 5:00 PM MON
EXTREME COLD WATCH in effect from 5:00 PM MON - 11:00AM TUE
Dangerously cold, with patchy snow showers through the day. Daytime wind chills between zero and negative 10, with overnight wind chills in the -20 degree range which will cause frostbite on exposed skin in under 30 minutes. Additional snow accumulations of a trace to an inch. Cold north winds at 20-25 mph.
Plains forecast: High: 20s; Low: Negative.
EXTREME COLD WATCH in effect from 5:00 PM MON - 11:00AM TUE
Isolated snow showers, and bitterly cold. Additional accumulations of a trace to a bit over an inch with the highest additional totals in Baca county. Otherwise, north winds at 15-20 mph increasing to 20-30 mph this afternoon. Bundle up!
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: High: 17/22; Low: -6/-4.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY in effect until 8:00 PM.
EXTREME COLD WATCH in effect from 5:00 PM MON - 11:00AM TUE
Snow through 3:00 PM, then off-and-on snow through 6:00 PM, then lingering flurries and blowing snow. Additional snow accumulations of 2-4". Northeast winds at 15-25 mph with wind chills near zero.
Mountains forecast: High: Teens; Low: Negative.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY in effect until 8:00 PM.
EXTREME COLD WATCH in effect from 5:00 PM MON - 11:00AM TUE
Snow - mainly in the southern mountains. Significant additional accumulations in the southern mountains of 3-6" possible. Extremely cold with highs in the 5-12 degree range, negative wind chills, and temperatures falling through the day. North winds at 15-25 mph.
Extended outlook forecast:
Sunday will be generally dry, and colder than Saturday. Highs will be in the mid-teens, with negative wind chills all day. Expect roads to remain icy and snow covered due to the cold conditions - and expect it to be unpleasant to be outside for more than a few minutes. The winds themselves will be lighter than Saturday. Low impact snow showers return Monday. An Extreme Cold Watch is in place for all of southern Colorado from 5:00 PM Monday - 11:00 AM Tuesday. This is when the worst cold impacts are expected with lows between -10 and -12 and wind chills under -25 degrees resulting in frostbite in under 30 minute concerns.
We'll begin to thaw out Wednesday. Some of the model guidance suggests we'll climb above freezing Wednesday for some of the plains, but I'm not yet convinced. The main way this could happen is through downslope warming - with winds expected to turn westerly, we could get enough warming to let the mercury climb above freezing. However, arctic air is notoriously very dense. Like a rock thrown into water, it sinks, and it's heavy so it's hard to move. As a result, downslope winds will have a difficult time penetrating this air, and I think we'll likely end up with a high right at freezing as a result.
We're monitoring low impact and low potential snow late this week.
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