Get Ready For The Denver Weather Rollercoaster: From 80 Degrees To 14 (& Snow!)
DENVER (CBS4) - An arctic cold front in Wyoming Wednesday morning will reach the Front Range of Colorado between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Strong north winds behind the front will quickly transport very cold air into the state. And then eventually snow will spread across much of the area prior to the Thursday morning commute.
Meanwhile, Wednesday will be another unusually warm day before the front arrives. High temperatures in the Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins areas will be in the upper 70s to around 80 degrees.
The warm temperatures together with gusty southwest winds will keep the fire danger high Wednesday afternoon. A Red Flag Warning has been issued from noon until 6 p.m. for the entire I-70 mountain corridor as well as for the metro area west and south of C-470.
After the front arrives Wednesday evening, it should stay mainly dry through midnight although drizzle or freezing drizzle is possible a few areas. Then after midnight, snow will develop initially in the mountains followed by lower elevations before the start of the Thursday morning commute. The main period of snow for the Denver metro area will be in the morning and early afternoon.
The snow will then diminish into Thursday evening and most of the area will be dry long before midnight Thursday night. The combination of fresh snow on the ground, clearing skies and lighter winds means Thursday night and Friday morning will be frigid for October. The record low for Friday (October 11) is 22 degrees set in 1946. That record should be shattered with forecast lows in the single digits and teens Friday morning. Plus, if Denver drops below 17 degrees (and we should -- 14 is the expected low!), it will be the earliest in the season the city has ever been so cold.
Warmer will start to return Friday afternoon with highs in the 40s followed by 60s on Saturday and Sunday. In fact, temperature should come close to 70 degrees during the Broncos game Sunday afternoon.
