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These posts contain information about the long-term weather patterns of Boulder County. Potential topics may include 30-day weather outlooks, El Nino/La Nina, and seasonal forecasts. You will find less about the day-to-day weather, with more focus on longer trends and patterns.
The well-advertised late-week winter storm delivered widespread wet snow to the entire Denver Metro area and nearby Foothills Thursday into Saturday, with some rain mixing in at times across the warmer northern tier. We review the soupy snowfall totals from this final bout of winter weather that put a bow on the lengthy cold and snowy week in the Front Range. We also discuss the shift back to sunny and dry conditions for the upcoming week.
A new storm system will drop across far western Colorado Tuesday night, but it’s heading for the deserts of southern Arizona. In the process of bypassing the Front Range, it will bring light snow to the Denver Metro area starting Tuesday night as temperatures tumble below freezing. Intermittent snow showers and flurries will linger through the day Wednesday leading to minor accumulations in Boulder and Denver, but higher totals are favored further south. There is also the potential for a more impactful storm to hit our area on Saturday, but that continues to look more unlikely by the day. Read on for the latest on the chilly and unsettled days ahead.
Updated (Tue 11/5/24 7:00 PM): The higher-end outcomes we touched on in the original post have become more likely give the latest model guidance. Though some snowflakes are already flying, we have amended our snowfall forecast map with a slight increase of 1-2″ across the board for the Metro area. Remember this is a long duration (mostly light) snowfall event, lasting from Tuesday evening at least into Wednesday afternoon. Light snow may continue well into Wednesday night, but this is still uncertain. Forecast snow totals will be reached over time, not immediately.
Many western suburbs of Denver experienced their first snow of the season last night, with Boulder officially recording 0.2 inches. The colder, higher elevations to the west saw a more significant dump, up to 15 inches in some areas. We briefly recap the underwhelming first snow of the season and announce the winners of our 2024 First Snowfall Contest.
The first two storm systems of the season capable of producing snow across the lower elevations mostly missed the mark, with only a small portion of the Denver Metro area reporting snow so far this season. Neither Boulder or Denver have officially received any snowfall since April. That will definitely change this week, perhaps as early as Sunday night as a light round of rain changing to snow is expected. Furthermore, a complicated, unsettled weather pattern will unfold the rest of the week in Colorado keeping our temperatures well below normal with almost daily chances for more rain and snow. We’re fairly confident everyone will see additional light accumulating snow Tuesday night into Wednesday, with a potential for a more impactful storm late in the week into the weekend, including possible blizzard conditions. We truly have a lot to cover in this week’s outlook, so let’s dive in!
Get ready, Colorado! The first snowflakes and a hard freeze of the season are on their way as this dramatic shift in weather across the state continues. Better late than never, right? We discuss when the snow will begin, how much could stick on the grassy surfaces, and when to expect the end to the 2024 growing season as temperatures are sure to plummet below freezing. We’re also tracking another potential snow event early next week. Here’s the latest.
As we transition deeper into autumn season, Colorado weather continues to keep us all on our toes. This past weekend, a slow-moving storm system that was expected to bring widespread light precipitation to the Denver Metro area ended up being a tad underwhelming, with the bulk of the moisture staying to our south. While Boulder and Denver received only minimal rainfall, areas of southern Colorado and New Mexico experienced heavy rainfall which led to deadly flash flooding. Looking ahead, this week promises relatively quiet weather for the Front Range, with just a brief cool down scheduled for late week. We’re also tracking an interesting storm in the pipeline for next week which could bring sub-freezing temperatures and potentially some snow to the area just in time for Halloween.
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