DENVER (KDVR) — It depends on where you are located for when you will start to see snow on Wednesday, but the storm is not expected to be a super windy one.
Wind speeds are forecast at 10-15 mph in the Denver metro during the day but pick up a bit into the evening with gusts up to 25 mph possible. Higher winds will be west of Denver and southwest across US 285 with gusts up to 40 mph in the mountains.
As this is a snow banding event and the upslope flow is out of the east, areas west and south of Denver will see the most accumulation. Other areas such as the Eastern Plains will not see much pile up.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for the Front Range from 2 p.m. Wednesday through 5 a.m. Thursday.
Timing of snow in the state
Snow will start overnight in the northern mountains in Routt and Jackson counties and slowly move down to the Interstate 70 mountain corridor into the early morning hours. If you’re heading up to the slopes, expect a snowy and slick drive but fresh powder when you drop in.
The latter half of the morning commute could be affected by snow and slick conditions north of Denver up in Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley.
The storm slides south and east by lunchtime which will affect the Denver metro area. If you’re heading out to grab a bite or walk the dog, you could see some impact by then. The heaviest and most widespread snowfall is expected into the evening drive and on into the 9-10 p.m. hour and lightening up after midnight.
The snow shifts from metro Denver to the south overnight and will be mostly dry for the Thursday morning commute, although roads will still be snowpacked and slick.
Snow totals around the Denver metro area
The Front Range and foothills are forecast to get the most snow but here are some specific location totals:
- Central Denver: 2-5 inches
- Southside (SE Aurora/Parker): 4-5 inches
- Northeast (Montbello, Central Park): 2-3 inches
- West of Denver (Lakewood, Littleton, Ken Caryl): 4-7 inches
South and west of Denver will see the heaviest snowfall and could see isolated pockets of 6 inches. The foothills including Castle Rock are looking at 7 inches. Northwest of Denver, closer to and near the foothills, places like Boulder, Broomfield and Arvada could accumulate 3 to 7 inches.
Snow bands could bring higher totals than what the ranges say depending on where they set up. The Pinpoint Weather Team is monitoring the expected total accumulation and will update any changes.