Snow moves into Colorado ahead of Thanksgiving, could impact holiday travel

A strong storm system moving into Colorado overnight is poised to bring nearly 3 feet of snow to parts of the high country. The Denver metro area won’t be spared of precipitation, but the lower elevations will likely only receive 1-4″ of slush accumulations by Wednesday night.

Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories go into effect for the mountains on Tuesday at 3 a.m. and remain in place through Wednesday night. Heavy snowfall is expected above 9500 feet, where an average of 10-20″ is expected, with as much as 3 feet possible in isolated areas. Along with heavy snow, strong gusty winds, up to 35 mph will create hazardous travel conditions.

Rain and snow chances increase throughout Tuesday for the Denver metro area and Eastern Plains. Overnight a rain-snow mix will transition to snow, and fall throughout the day on Wednesday. Minor accumulations are expected across the Denver metro area and Front Range, with 1-4″ expected. Palmer Divide neighborhoods may see some locally higher totals.

By Thanksgiving snow will have mostly cleared the state, leaving behind some slick driving conditions in the morning. With overnight lows dipping to the teens, a flash freeze is possible. While sunny, dry weather will dominate the Thanksgiving holiday, temperatures will struggle to reach the low 40s.

A dry weather pattern moves back in for the weekend, but temperatures will remain cooler than average. Through the weekend in the Denver metro area, high temperatures will only climb into the 30s and 40s.  

Alex Lehnert

First Alert Meteorologist Alex Lehnert provides the weather forecast on CBS Colorado Mornings. Catch her latest First Alert Weather updates on TV and on our free streaming service, CBS News Colorado. Check out her bio and send her an email.