Monday Mild Across Colorado, But Winter Returns Shortly
DENVER (CBS4) - Colorado is between active weather patterns at the moment, but by the middle of this week we'll see changes in the mountains and the metro area.
Mild conditions continue through Wednesday afternoon, then a cold front keeps Denver's temperatures down through the weekend.
The high country snow will be heavy for some, and the metro area may even see a few inches.
Currently, the upper level winds are very light from the southwest. This is due to a ridge of high pressure that's drifting east of our area.
By Tuesday, the first in a series of disturbances will brush southwest Colorado and bring snow to all of the mountains through Friday night.
Looking at the radar picture, you can already see the rain and snow in Arizona -- this is our first upper level system of the week.
Expect increasing snow chances in the San Juan Mountains Monday afternoon, eventually reaching the Elk and Gore Ranges by Tuesday morning. Most of this snow will only be scattered at first, but we'll see more widespread coverage by Wednesday afternoon.
By Wednesday night, accumulating snow starts falling as far north as the Park Range near Steamboat and the mountains north of I-70.
As the week wears on, cold air combines with the Pacific moisture to bring Denver a chance of snow. The leading edge of a Canadian front reaches the city by Wednesday night.
This north wind shift will bring brief upslope conditions to the Front Range, Fort Collins and the metro area, but won't bring much accumulating snow. However, that story may change Thursday night and Friday morning when a reinforcing shot of cold arrives from the north.
A larger-scale system carves a trough in the jet stream Thursday and Friday. The atmosphere becomes more unstable as the upper-level low approaches from the west, then passes over the state. This means conditions will be more favorable for heavy snow in the mountains -- especially the San Juans -- and bring winter weather to the metro area.
Since the late-week system is still getting organized I'll leave out storm totals for now. No warnings or advisories have been posted by the Weather Service as of yet. But most of the ski areas will fair well with new snow as we head into the weekend.
Details will become clear for Denver's snow chances in the coming days, also.
Justin McHeffey provides nightly reports from the Mobile Weather Lab. He travels Colorado in search of Mother Nature's most powerful and beautiful conditions. Like his Facebook page Meteorologist Justin McHeffey and follow him on Twitter @WeatherMcHeffey.
