Foggy conditions are impacting morning commuters Thursday morning before afternoon thunderstorms will kick off a rainy weekend for the metro area, according to National Weather Service forecasters.
Thick fog was reported in several spots along Interstate 70 east of Limon, and around Denver International Airport Thursday morning, NWS meteorologists said.
The fog is expected to clear out by late morning, but will be replaced with afternoon and evening thunderstorms, according to NWS forecasters.
Scattered rain showers and isolated thunderstorms will move along the Interstate 25 Corridor this afternoon and evening, and Denver can expect the strongest waves of the incoming storm to hit between 5 p.m. Thursday and 3 a.m. Friday, forecasters said.
While the city will likely only see rain and lightning, eastern Colorado will need to watch out for large hail and possible tornados, according to a NWS hazardous weather outlook.
The main threat of severe weather conditions runs mostly east of Akron and Sterling, but there is some risk as far west as Fort Morgan and eastern Weld County, forecasters said.
Despite the cooling rain, Denver will see high temperatures peak around 77 degrees Thursday, before dropping down to 49 degrees overnight, according to NWS forecasters.
The city will see significantly cooler temperatures over the weekend as rain showers and thunderstorms continue, with high temperatures expected to drop below 60 degrees both Saturday and Sunday before heating back up Monday, forecasters said.
While lower elevations get doused with rain, forecasters expect around five inches of snow to accumulate in the mountains by Friday morning, the hazardous weather outlook stated. Slushy and snow covered roads are possible over higher mountain passes tonight.
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Some mountain areas — such as Winter Park and Vail Pass — could see nearly a foot of snow stack up by 6 p.m. Friday, according to NWS snowfall projections.
The mountain snowstorm is expected to pick up throughout the weekend, with the heaviest bands of snow moving through the area late Friday night through midday Sunday, according to Thursday’s hazardous weather outlook.
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