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Colorado Weather: Mountain Snow And Front Range Thunderstorms Expected This Weekend

DENVER (CBS4) - Very warm and dry weather at the start the Memorial Day weekend will be replaced by cooler and wetter conditions starting Sunday. Colorado's higher mountains will get snow instead of rain.

Temperatures on Friday will be about 15 degrees above normal for late May. The Denver metro will reach close to 90 degrees and many areas on the Eastern Plains will be well into the 90s. The mountains will be in the 60s and 70s Friday afternoon causing fresh snow from earlier in the week to rapidly melt.

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There is also a slight chance for a late day thunderstorm in the mountains and along the Front Range urban corridor Friday afternoon. Any storms that manage to develop will produce more wind than rain.

Not much will change in Colorado on Saturday. Temperatures will be similar to Friday but it should be a degree or two cooler in the Denver metro area and slightly warmer on the Eastern Plains. Mountain areas will also experience almost no change but wind speeds should be less compared to Friday.

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Then changes arrive starting Saturday night with a good chance for rain and snow developing in the mountains for Sunday and again on Monday. Temperatures will also get noticeably cooler in the high country with 40s and lower 50s at 9,000 feet for Memorial Day.

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The snow level should generally stay above 10,000 feet on Sunday and Monday meaning most mountain towns will get rain instead of snow. Meanwhile, mountain passes like Loveland, Berthoud, Rabbit Ears, and Vail should get at least minor accumulation. The higher foothills of Jefferson, Boulder, and Larimer Counties could also see brief snowfall but accumulation is not expected at this time.

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For Denver and the Front Range, there is a 50% chance for showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon on Sunday followed by a 40% chance for showers and thunderstorms mostly after 12 p.m. on Sunday. Temperatures will also be noticeably cooler in the metro area for Memorial Day with many neighborhoods struggling to reach the lower 70s. That's about 5 degrees below normal for Memorial Day in Denver.

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And speaking of cool temperatures, the Denver metro area may not reach 60 degrees on Tuesday. A quick warming trend should develop later next week.

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