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The blizzard heading into the Colorado foothills, Front Range, and Eastern Plains will likely still have a powerful punch, but the timing of its arrival has been pushed back a bit.
A winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service for the storm has been pushed back, the warning now begins at 5 a.m. Saturday and will continue until 6 a.m. Monday. Previously, the warning was to start at midnight Friday and end at midnight Sunday.
“That’s the nature of digital weather models, a few models think it’s going to move slower,” said Robert Koopmeiners, a meteorologist with the Boulder Weather Service.
The possible delay in synchronization does not necessarily mean that the system will be weaker, or that it will decrease and not bring as much snow as expected – one to two feet in the urban corridor with two to four feet in the foothills, in particular the northern foothills, on Monday morning. Denver is expected to receive about 20 inches of snow by the end of the storm.
“March is Denver’s snowiest month, if you want to get it you’re going to get it now,” Koopmeiners said.
The “significant winter storm” is expected to peak overnight Saturday through Sunday, Koopmeiners said.
Temperatures, in the upper 1920s, along with the upward slope and high moisture content are expected to combine over Saturday night and give the storm some storminess.
“The fiercest time will be from Saturday night to early Sunday,” Koopmeiners said.
On Saturday in Denver, new snow accumulation is expected to be 3 to 5 inches, with an additional 4 to 8 inches on Saturday night. The probability of precipitation is 100%, according to the weather service. The daytime high temperature will be 34 degrees and the nighttime low will be around 30 degrees.
Snow is expected to remain heavy in Denver at times on Sunday, with a 90% chance of precipitation and winds picking up, gusting to 29 mph, the weather service said. Sunday night snow in the city is likely before 11 p.m., the chance of precipitation is 70%, and the low temperature will drop to 24 degrees.
Other Colorado cities in the winter storm warning zone include Fort Collins, Greeley, Limon, Granby, Georgetown, Aspen, Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, and Cañon City. Larimer County is expected to be among the hardest hit areas.
Statewide, snowfall will be lighter west of the continental divide. In the eastern plains, warmer temperatures are expected to result in a mixture of rain and snow, which could reduce snow depth in some areas, particularly along the Kansas and Nebraska borders.
Traveling through the metro area and along the foothills “can become nearly impossible from the end of Saturday to much of Sunday at the height of this storm,” the weather service warns.
Authorities and officials in Denver and beyond have asked residents to heed the forecast and stay home, only venturing out if absolutely necessary or in an emergency. Denver International Airport is expecting flight delays and cancellations over the weekend, and metro area events, including COVID-19 testing and vaccine distributions, have been canceled.
The Colorado State Patrol and the Colorado Department of Transportation are among the entities calling on motorists to stay off the roads for safety reasons and so that plow operators can clear snow with less. obstacles.
The powerful system is expected to shut down on Monday as road conditions improve although there may still be heavy snow depths on secondary roads, especially in the foothills. On Monday, there is a 20% chance that it will snow in Denver before 11 a.m. and the maximum temperature is expected to climb to 41 degrees under partly cloudy skies.
The forecast calls for another system to bring a chance for snow in the Denver area from Tuesday to Wednesday, but that system will be weaker and of shorter duration.
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