Colorado To Turn Snowy As NOAA Releases Latest El Niño Outlook

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - NOAA's latest El Niño outlook released Thursday morning calls for this episode to remain strong through early next year for the Northern Hemisphere.

What does that mean for Colorado?

History shows we can expect occasional bouts with cold and snow but there's a higher than normal chance to see a few bigger storms, especially in the Front Range and southern mountains.

Colorado has enjoyed a dry and mild stretch of weather since Thanksgiving but that will come to an abrupt end Friday as a series of storm systems will begin to march into the region.

The first one arrives late Friday into Saturday with a good chance of snow and more seasonal temperatures.

The second storm may bring a shot of bitterly cold arctic air in addition to more snow by the middle of next week.

For a more in depth video discussion about this changing weather pattern click here.

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.