Colorado weather: Spring snowstorm hits Denver, mountains as temps dramatically drop

Snow is once again falling across Colorado, with up to 5 inches of accumulation possible in Denver and up to a foot falling in the mountains through Saturday morning, meteorologists say.

Temperatures in Denver are expected to plateau at 30 — a drop of more than 40 degrees from Thursday — before falling to 22 overnight Friday, with winds gusting up to 22 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

NWS meteorologist Jim Kalina said a trough of low-pressure air moving across the Great Basin and Colorado is to blame for the snow. As of 6:45 a.m., he said about a half an inch of snow had fallen in Denver, while close to four inches have been reported near Georgetown.

In Boulder, where the agency’s local office is located, observers have recorded about 2.8 inches of snow. Kalina said Denver International Airport and the eastern suburbs of Denver will likely see less snow than the foothills and Front Range mountain communities, with the worst of the storm expected Friday evening.

A 40% chance of snow showers and a high of 43 are forecast Saturday before the weather clears in time for Easter. By week’s end, Kalina said Denver residents will “probably” be in the clear for seasonal snow.

“But it is Colorado,” he said. “We’ve seen storms in early May. Chances are, it won’t happen, but it could.”

Winter Weather Advisories are in effect for much of the western half of the state, with the National Weather Service warning that travel through the mountains could be “hazardous” in some places and “very difficult to impossible” in others.

Colorado’s Department of Transportation reports that snow plows have been deployed on roadways across metro Denver, where conditions are said to be wet and icy, though major freeways were open as of 6:30 a.m.