Denver Weather: Storm Arrives! Plan On Snow Tonight & Tomorrow

DENVER (CBS4) - The biggest storm to hit Denver and the Front Range since before Thanksgiving has arrived. Many metro area neighborhoods will see at least a half foot of snow. School and business closures are likely Tuesday.

The storm started with freezing drizzle early Monday morning but as moisture has increased, freezing drizzle was turning into snow later in the morning.

Initially any snow accumulation in the metro area will be limited to mainly bridges and overpasses as roads remain warm from the tied record high of 74 degrees in Denver on Sunday.

As much colder air continues invading Colorado behind an arctic cold front that passed Sunday evening, snow will accumulate on all surfaces including roads by Monday afternoon.

Heavier snow will develop in the foothills of Jefferson, Boulder, and Larimer Counties Monday afternoon followed by the urban corridor Monday evening. Snowfall rates could reach 1-2 inches per hour. This will create a very challenging situation for the evening commute with snowpacked roadways, limited visibility, gusty wind, and very cold temperatures. The Tuesday morning commute will also be slow and slick. Confidence remains high at least some schools and business will close for Tuesday.

In terms of total snow accumulation, most areas along the Front Range will see 5-10 inches of snow through Tuesday morning.

The heaviest snowfall (over 1 foot) will be near the base of the foothills including parts of Boulder, Golden, Lakewood, and Littleton. Generally speaking, snow totals will get smaller the farther east you go from the foothills. Downtown Denver we'll likely get 4-8 inches while the airport may stay under 6 inches. That said, there may still be significant delays and flight cancellations Monday evening at DIA.

Officially there is a Winter Storm Warning for all areas west of I-25 through 6 a.m. Tuesday for 6-14 inches of snow including all of Jefferson and Boulder Counties. The I-70 mountain corridor (above 9,000 feet) is also under a Winter Storm Warning through early Tuesday for 6-12 inches of snow.

Meanwhile, locations along and east of I-25 including Denver, Aurora, Brighton, Greeley, and Castle Rock are under a Winter Weather Advisory for at least 4-8 inches of snow.

Elsewhere around the state, most areas are also under a Winter Weather Advisory.

The snow will tapper off by late morning on Tuesday and snow is expected to end statewide by Tuesday night. Attention will then turn to the frigid temperatures that will grip most of Colorado. Morning low temperatures are expected to dip below 0° in metro Denver Wednesday morning.