Colorado Weather: One of the worst cold snaps in 30 years starts Wednesday

An extremely cold winter storm will reach Colorado on Wednesday causing the Front Range to experience the coldest temperatures in many years.

The cold front at the leading edge of the frigid air will reach the Denver metro area in the afternoon on Wednesday. Once the front passes, temperatures will drop very quickly. After reaching near 50 degrees before 3 p.m., the temperatures in the city will be about 40 degrees by 9 p.m. and will drop at least another 15 degrees by daybreak on Thursday.

Therefore temperatures will be in the teens below zero around Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins Thursday morning and may drop below -20 degrees on the Eastern Plains.

Meanwhile the mountains will be shielded from the coldest air but will still turn absolutely frigid Wednesday night. And speaking of the high country, the snow coming with this storm will initially start in the mountains Wednesday afternoon.

The snow will then spread into the metro area during the Wednesday evening commute and will continue at times into early morning hours on Thursday. The snow will be extremely light and will be very susceptible to blowing meaning accurate snow measurements will be difficult. At this time, no more than 4-5 inches of fluffy snow is expected along the urban corridor with the highest amounts near Boulder, Arvada, Louisville, Superior, Westminster, and Broomfield.

By daybreak on Thursday, the falling snow will be over and the focus will be on the cold. Denver should stay below freezing for about 68 hours and will stay below zero for about half that time (approximately 38 hours) which is rare.

Temperatures will finally reach above freezing around Noon on Saturday and Christmas will be slightly warmer than normal on Sunday.