Denver's First Measurable Snow In 6 Weeks To Fall On Anniversary Of Epic March '03 Blizzard

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - The sky this morning looked much like it did 13 years ago on this date as a major winter storm was moving into Colorado.

That storm brought several feet of heavy, wet snow that shut down most of the Front Range, including the city of Denver, which received 31.8 inches.

If you're hoping for a major storm system this time around you're going to be disappointed.

The present storm is threatening to bring an average of 3-6 inches of snow to the Denver metro area, but there could be some higher totals, especially in the foothills and to the northwest of Denver in Boulder County and Larimer County.

FIRST SNOW IN WEEKS

The last time measurable snow fell at Denver International Airport was on Feb. 2.

While a snowstorm did move through the region on Feb. 22-23, leaving several inches in the foothills and parts of northwest metro Denver, only a trace of snow was measured at Denver International Airport.

The current storm will have a lot of variation in final snow totals because of several variables, including...

• the ground is so warm from the recent spring-like weather pattern there will initially be some melting

• a strong and dynamic jet stream passing overhead tonight will create banding of snowfall which means some places could see totals exceed 6 inches under the heavier bands

Another wild card with this storm system will be some much colder air moving in overnight. That will bring the potential for a flash freeze to some roadways and could make the Friday morning commute slow and slick.

Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.