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Could Approaching Snowstorm Rival Denver's Last 'Footer' From February 2012?

By Dave Aguilera and Chris Spears

DENVER - The last time Denver saw a foot of snow in one day was on Feb. 3, 2012.

That storm was known as the Groundhog Day storm and it lasted for nearly three days.

Feb. 2, 2012 - 1.5"
Feb. 3, 2012 - 12.5"
Feb. 4, 2012 - 1.9"

Early February 2012 Snowstorm
Steven Knabe, 18, snowboards in Tantra Park Feb. 3, 2012 in Boulder. (Photo by Dana Romanoff/Getty Images)

Denver's final snow total came in just under 16 inches.

PHOTO GALLERY: Record Breaking Snowstorm Of February 2012

As this next storm approaches, there's a lot of chatter about when the flakes are going to fly and how much will accumulate.

ANOTHER EARLY FEBRUARY FOOTER FOR DENVER?

To answer the question above, it's possible, but at this point, it's not certain. That storm is still a few thousand miles away in the northeast part of the Pacific Ocean.

Before it gets here there's a smaller and faster moving storm that will be moving into Colorado Friday night. While it will mostly have mountain snow associated with it, Denver could see some flakes anytime starting late Saturday and lasting into the day on Sunday.

ECMWF Jet Stream Forecast
(credit: CBS4/Colorado's Weather Center)

Then the 'bigger' storm is forecast to drop down the West Coast of the United States over the weekend and trek through the Four Corners late Sunday and during the day on Monday.

By Monday night and early Tuesday it'll be moving into the central plains and picking up strength as it taps into warm, moist air from the south and colder, drier air to the north.

ECMWF Jet Stream Forecast_2
(credit: CBS4/Colorado's Weather Center)
ECMWF Jet Stream Forecast_3
(credit: CBS4/Colorado's Weather Center)

That's when the forecast becomes really tricky for Denver, the Front Range and eastern Colorado.

If this storm tracks just right it could bring moderate to heavy snow and strong gusty wind to the region.

The most likely window for this to happen as it stands right now would be from Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning.

There's even a possibility of seeing blizzard conditions at some point on the eastern plains before the storm wraps up.

Snow Forecast RPM State to Metro 2014_Chris
(credit: CBS4/Colorado's Weather Center)

One thing for certain with these next two weather makers is that Colorado's high country is going to pick up a significant amount of new snow, with many places measuring it in feet.

Denver, the Front Range and the eastern plains all stand to pick up accumulating snowfall, potentially adding up to several inches before all is said and done.

The forecast will become a bit more clear over the weekend as the larger storm moves on shore and we can sample it with upper-air stations along the West Coast.

Watch the latest forecast from Colorado's Weather Center:

Stay with CBS4 and Colorado's Weather Center for the latest forecast information.

Meteorologist Dave Aguilera is a Colorado native and has been forecasting weather in the Rocky Mountain region for over 25 years! Connect with Dave on Facebook and on Twitter @DaveAgCBS.

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.

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