Colorado Weather: Strong spring storm arrives on Tuesday causing heavy rain and snow

Heavy snow will develop in the mountains and foothills on Tuesday afternoon followed by rain spreading across the I-25 urban corridor for the evening commute.

Tuesday and Wednesday have been declared First Alert Weather Days because of travel is expected to become difficult to impossible due to heavy snowfall on high country roadways.

Dry air across much of Colorado in the early morning hours will mean sunshine to start the day followed by a quick increase in cloud cover. The center of the storm will track across southern Colorado and therefore the overall heaviest rain and snow in the state will likely be found south of Colorado Springs. Meanwhile areas farther north like Fort Collins and Greeley will end up with less total precipitation on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

The I-70 corridor from Genesee to Vail Pass is under a Winter Storm Warning from 12 p.m. on Tuesday until 12 p.m. on Wednesday. Most of this stretch will get 8-16 inches of snow including the mountains of Summit County. Farther south, the Sangre de Cristo mountains will get up to 3 feet of snow thanks to the southerly track of the storm.

Closer to Denver, all locations above about 6,000 feet in elevation on the south and west sides of the metro area are under a Winter Storm Warning from 6 p.m. Tuesday until 12 p.m. on Wednesday. There will be large variability with snowfall amounts across areas like Castle Rock, Franktown, Elizabeth, Red Feather Lakes, Estes Park, Idaho Springs, Bailey, and Evergreen but these areas should get at least 5-12 inches of snow. A few spots in the higher terrain of Jefferson and Boulder Counties could get up to 28 inches.

On the Western Slope, most areas above 9,000 feet are under a Winter Weather Advisory for at least 6-12 inches of snow in the San Juans and 8-14 inches of snow for the mountains surrounding Aspen, Crested Butte, Vail, Steamboat Springs, and the Flat Tops.

For the Denver metro area, the precipitation will be mostly rain buy slushy snow is possible Tuesday night. Any accumulation under 6,000 feet should be limited to 1 inch or less. Temperatures will be chilly but not enough for big snow in Denver.