DENVER — Snow could hamper travel on Black Friday and perhaps part of the Thanksgiving weekend.
A few inches of snow look likely to fall across much of northeastern Colorado on Black Friday, and bitterly cold temperatures will likely stick around through the weekend. While this won't be a huge snowstorm (most of the metro area will probably get less than 3 inches of accumulation), it'll probably be enough to lead to slick roads.
First, a widespread light-to-moderate snowfall looks likely across northeastern Colorado, including Denver and other lower elevation locations. While some significant differences remain among the computer forecast models, it looks like snow will push in from the north late on Thanksgiving night and into Friday morning.
A sharp cold front arrives on Thanksgiving morning, setting the stage for snow and a prolonged period of colder temperatures across northeastern Colorado.
While Thanksgiving itself looks mainly just cold and cloudy, snow likely arrives well after dark on Thanksgiving. Snow continues during the day on Friday before likely winding down on Friday night or early Saturday morning.
It's a bit early for specific totals and impacts, but this looks like a light-to-moderate snow event, perhaps on the order of 1-3 or 2-4 inches for most of northeastern Colorado. It also looks like northern Colorado (Weld and Larimer counties) might wind up with the highest totals from this storm, but again, it's still early for specifics.
It'd also be enough for one of the snowiest Thanksgiving holiday weekends in Denver in recent memory.
You can expect at least some impacts to roads and at Denver International Airport. Airport delays look likely, but the relatively light nature of the snow should keep airport operations mostly intact. Again, check back in for specifics as the storm nears. Almost all of the snow will fall on Friday, with perhaps a little bit late on Thursday night and/or early on Saturday morning.
Cold temperatures will be the other big takeaway from our next storm, with highs likely stuck in the 20s on Black Friday. Overnight lows could drop into the single digits on Friday and/or Saturday morning.
The snow should clear in plenty of time for the Broncos' game against the Cleveland Browns at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday afternoon, with temperatures in the 30s or 40s.
A gradual warming trend should continue into next week, with highs in the 40s and dry weather.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Colorado Climate