Tonight's Forecast:
Low pressure in New Mexico that brought us our spring storm will pivot east and northeast tonight. This will keep clouds over the region until early Saturday morning, with spotty low-impact snow showers possible in the southern mountains through around 10:00PM. Overnight, skies will clear west to east. This will lead to a cold evening with lows in the teens and 20s. Wet roads will ice over again - if your driveway, sidewalk, or road is wet now, expect some black ice late tonight.
This patchy ice issue will persist into Easter Sunday morning - which starts out cold. But the sun will make quick work of melting by late morning. Details for Easter Sunday in the extended forecast below.
Colorado Springs forecast: Low: 23; High: 59;
Expect wet secondary roads to turn icy again tonight as temperatures fall. You should be generally OK through around 9:00PM, after which, ice will start to form. Clouds persist through 12/1 AM becoming patchier and then moving out to the east. Skies eventually turn fully clear, which will coincide with the biggest temperature drop. Winds should be light.
Pueblo forecast: Low: 24; High: 65;
Following a great drink of water with this spring storm - tonight will be calm. Cloudy through mid-evening, then partly cloudy through around midnight, then becoming clear. Do expect some ice on any wet secondary road.
Canon City forecast: Low: 26; High: 60;
Following a fantastic storm that brought us from 21% to 70% of our 30-day average precipitation, expect clearing skies tonight. As in other zones with snow - secondary roads may have some black ice, so use caution on them. Otherwise, it'll be cold and calm.
Woodland Park forecast: Low: 18; High: 51;
Clearing skies - and very cold - tonight. Southwest winds at 5-10 mph. A stray flurry is possible early. Otherwise, bundle up!
Tri-Lakes forecast: Low: 20s; High: 50s;
Cloudy early - clearing after midnight. Southwest winds at 10-15 mph. Quite cold for this time of year...expect a cold early Easter morning. But sunshine will lead to a rapid warm up by late morning.
Plains forecast: Low: 20s/30s; High: 60s;
Mostly cloudy - with some spotty rain or snow showers, particularly along the CO-KS border and the SE tier. Northeast winds at 5-10 mph.
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: Low: 21/23; High: 57/62;
Mostly cloudy before midnight - becoming clear after midnight. Cold. West winds at 5-10 mph.
Mountains forecast: Low: Teens; High: 40s;
So much beneficial moisture fell from this storm! That means icy roads tonight and tomorrow morning. Also expect isolated downed tree branches (very heavy wet snow). Otherwise - cold - with northwest winds at 5-10 mph.
Extended outlook forecast:
Easter Sunday starts out sunny. Temperatures climb quickly to the 50s and 60s by early afternoon - leading to rapid snowmelt combined with the strong mid-April sun angle. This rapid melting will lead to wet secondary roads anywhere where significant snowcover exists. It will also lead to wet lawns and muddy trails.
If you're planning on attending an egg hunt tomorrow with the kiddos - plan accordingly with waterproof shoes. If you want to hike or take a bike ride, pavement will be your friend. If you do choose to hike, again - bring some waterproof footwear. Remember that it's important to stay on trails, even when they're muddy or wet. Walking off trail causes significant damage to the environment. This all said - the day is nice, mild, with afternoon patchy clouds.
Monday will see downslope breezes and warmth - but fire danger should stay low given the recent moisture. A cold front arrives Tuesday and the day should be a few degrees colder with some afternoon showers favoring the mountains.
The "interesting" part of the week starts Wednesday and lasts through Saturday. Upslope flow will pull in what I'd call "decent" Gulf moisture, and this should support daily afternoon shower or storm chances. Thursday has the potential to be a higher-impact type of day, as a shortwave trough approaches (a small area of low pressure), combined with good moisture, and decent wind shear. Blending all of that together would lead to a chance for some strong to potentially severe thunderstorms. The forecasting challenge this far out is trying to time the shortwave, and the amount of moisture that moves in. In short - expect some showers and storms in the second half of your week, and we'll update you on specifics when we're closer.
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Curious about the First Alert 5 Weather Storm Impact Scale? Check out our cheatsheet explainer.
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