Colder Air Will Follow Blanket of Snow in High Plains and Rockies

The coldest air of the season is tracking to the south from Canada, set to hit the central portions of the U.S. by late this week. The influx of frigid air will lay the groundwork for snow development across the High Plains and the Rockies. Here are the details of this cold and snowy forecast.

Winter Weather on the Horizon for the High Plains and the Rockies

Forecasters are warning that it could be a messy end to the week for the High Plains and the Rockies thanks to a blast of Arctic air and the arrival of accumulating snowfall. Motorists planning to use Interstate 25 into the weekend will want to keep tabs on this developing weather maker.

The wintry precipitation will be fueled by a mass of Siberian air forecast to dive to the south across central Canada late this week before moving into the central U.S. by the weekend. You can expect significant snow to begin to fall as the frigid air moves over the western Plains states and the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

The flakes will first begin to fly late Thursday and into Friday in Montana and northern Idaho before moving to the south into Wyoming. Large stretches of interstates 15, 25, and 94 will likely be impacted by this storm.

The bulk of the snow will fall across the eastern slopes of the Rockies and down into the foothills and the neighboring High Plains. This will translate to accumulating snow for places such as Denver and to the east. The forecast models are still unclear about the precise amount of accumulation but meteorologists are predicting that as much as a foot of snow may fall if the storm reaches its full potential.

The Denver metro area is forecast to see 2 to 4 inches of snow by Friday night and into Saturday. The highest amounts of snow will likely fall to the west of the city in the foothills and to the south over the Palmer Divide. This is a typical snow pattern for the Mile High City.

The forecast for Denver is also calling for readings that fall below zero degrees for the first time this year. After enjoying highs in the 50s on Thursday, the mercury will struggle to crack the 40-degree mark for a high on Friday as the snow makes its way down into the Colorado Front Range. Friday's overnight lows are forecast to drop into the teens before topping out at about 18 degrees on Saturday. Even colder air will move in overnight Saturday with a forecast low of negative 4 degrees. Sunday's high will likely remain in the single digits in Denver.

A number of other cities in the region are expected to see accumulating snow. For instance, Cheyenne, Wyoming is anticipating the snow to begin Friday afternoon with accumulations of less than an inch before 1 to 3 inches fall overnight. It will be a blustery day Friday in Cheyenne with highs of about 35 degrees and winds out of the north-northwest at 15 to 25 mph. Another 1 to 3 inches of snow is in the forecast overnight with a low of about 4 degrees.

Light flurries will linger into Saturday in Cheyenne before the moisture machine wraps up. Colder air will come in on the backside of the storm, resulting in a high of just 7 degrees on Saturday and 3 degrees on Sunday. Overnight lows will easily slip below zero during this time period, landing at negative 12 degrees on Saturday night.

The snow will take longer to arrive in places to the south. Pueblo, Colorado will escape with just about an inch of accumulation overnight Saturday before picking up 1 to 3 inches on Saturday. The snow event should wrap up during the evening hours with about another inch possible. After seeing a high near 50 degrees on Friday, the mercury will tumble into the low 20s on Saturday for a high. Overnight lows on Saturday will drop to just below zero degrees with a high of about 11 degrees on tap for Sunday.

It is possible that the snow line could extend as far as the border between Mexico and western Texas. However, any snow that falls in this zone will be sporadic and light when compared to the stream of moisture headed to Colorado and Wyoming.

Falling Temperatures Will Promote Snow Accumulation

The first bands of snow may melt when it hits the roads as a result of the mild temperatures currently in place. The snow is likely to begin to accumulate on paved surfaces once the temperatures begin to fall as the Arctic air moves into the region. What could be most disruptive is if a layer of ice forms below the snow cover, creating slippery roads and sidewalks.

In addition to the wintry precipitation, real feel readings will plummet thanks to the winds. Real feel readings may slip as low as 20 degrees lower than the air temperatures at times.

This mass of cold air could dive as far south as Dallas and San Antonio. For instance, overnight lows could drop into the 10s in some communities in Texas early next week.

The area of bitterly cold air will make a turn to the east after infiltrating the Rockies and the Great Plains. This movement will bring the coldest temperatures in some time to areas east of the Mississippi River.

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