DENVER (KDVR) — An arctic blast will arrive later this week, dropping temperatures below zero degrees and delivering some snowfall.
The Pinpoint Weather team said the Arctic cold front will arrive in Denver around 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
Thursday and Friday are Pinpoint Weather Alert Days due to the dangerous cold and snow.
How cold will it get?
Temperatures will be in the 40s on Wednesday before taking a nosedive by midnight. Overnight lows on Wednesday into Thursday will be minus 10 degrees.
Highs on Thursday will be at or below zero degrees.
Overnight lows Thursday into Friday might hit minus 13 degrees in Denver. The temperature will rebound to 20 degrees on Friday.
What parts of Colorado are on a wind chill watch?
The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill watch for the Denver metro area, Front Range, and Eastern Plains for wind chills as low as 50 degrees below zero from Wednesday evening into Friday morning.
The wind chill watch is in effect from 8 p.m. Wednesday until 11 a.m. Friday.
The NWS said the combination of wind and cold temperatures will create dangerously low wind chill values Wednesday evening through Friday morning.
How much snow is possible?
Meteorologist Carly Cassady said the snow will start around 5 p.m. on Wednesday in Denver. The snow will continue into the Thursday morning rush hour, then it stops by the lunch hour with skies clearing quickly.
Expected snow totals by noon Thursday:
- Denver: 1-5 inches
- Fort Collins: 1-5 inches
- Foothills: 3-8 inches
- Central and northern mountains: 4-12 inches
- Palmer Divide: 1-5 inches
What is wind chill?
The National Weather Service says the wind chill temperature is how cold people and animals feel when outside. Wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by wind and cold.
“As the wind increases, it draws heat from the body, driving down skin temperature and eventually the internal body temperature. Therefore, the wind makes it feel much colder. If the temperature is 0 degrees and the wind is blowing at 15 mph, the wind chill is minus 19 degrees. At this wind chill temperature, exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes,” the NWS said.
The NWS has issued a wind chill watch for the Denver metro area, Front Range, and Eastern Plains for wind chills as low as 50 degrees below zero from Wednesday evening into Friday morning.
Where to see weather alerts
If a winter alert is issued for your area, whether it is a blizzard watch or warning, winter weather advisory or winter storm warning, it will always show up at the top of the FOX31 website. You can see all weather alerts here.
The Pinpoint Weather team will continue to update the forecast multiple times each day.