It’s going to be a cold, wet weekend in Colorado as rain showers and thunderstorms move in on the metro area and the mountains prepare for snow, according to the National Weather Service.
Friday will be the last day of above-normal temperatures and dry conditions before thunderstorms and snowy weather hit Colorado on Saturday, NWS forecasters said in a hazardous weather outlook.
In Denver, temperature highs will drop from a forecasted 88 degrees Friday to 69 degrees Saturday — a nearly 20-degree difference — according to NWS forecasters. Temperatures will drop even more on Sunday, where a high near 56 degrees is forecasted.
Rain showers and thunderstorms are expected to move into the metro area around 3 p.m. Saturday and increase in strength throughout the evening, forecasters said. The stormy weather will continue in the Denver area on Sunday, wrapping up around noon.
In higher elevations, thunderstorms will mix with snow showers, NWS forecasters said.
Near Rocky Mountain National Park — around 7,500 feet of elevation — Saturday afternoon thunderstorms and rain showers will turn to snow around 8 p.m., according to NWS forecasters.
Thunder could continue even as the snow starts to fall, forecasters said. The park could see up to three inches of snow.
Longs Peak, the highest point in Rocky Mountain National Park at 14,259 feet, could see up to 8 inches of snow Saturday, according to NWS forecasters.
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At the peak and other areas above 9,000 feet, snow showers are expected to start around noon and stack up multiple inches of fresh powder, NWS forecasters said in the hazardous weather outlook.
Snow in Colorado’s mountains will lighten Sunday afternoon but continue off and on through Wednesday, forecasters said.
The mountains are expected to see temperature highs drop into the low 40s and 30s on Saturday and Sunday, according to NWS forecasters.
According to the hazardous weather outlook, a gradual warming trend is forecasted across the state next week, with temperature highs returning to the mid-70s in the metro area and high-40s in the mountains.
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