Denver Weather: Slick Monday Drive Possible As Heavy, Wet Snow Returns Tonight
DENVER (CBS4) - Snow is back in the Denver area forecast starting tonight and though it won't be as much as we saw last week, it will be heavy and wet. This will be the first of three storms that will impact us this week.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Sunday night and Monday morning (purple on map below) for Denver and the surrounding suburbs. A Winter Storm Warning (pink on map below) covers the foothills west of Denver and the Palmer Divide to the south.
At this time there are no winter weather alerts in effect for Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley or the eastern plains. Some snow is possible in these areas but it should be two inches or less unless something changes with the storm's track.
You'll notice it is much cooler today compared to Saturday. A cold front moved through last night. That will help set the stage for rain showers this afternoon to quickly change over to snow by sunset.
RELATED: Colorado Weather: 3 Storms Will Hit This Week, First Brings Snow Starting Tonight
It should snow all night Sunday and linger into the morning hours on Monday. Several inches will be possible before all is said and done and it'll be full of water, which will make it difficult to shovel.
When it comes to looking at potential accumulation for your area vs. the actual measurement you take in your backyard there are a few things to keep in mind. There will be some initial melting of the snow because it was so warm on Saturday. Also, heavy, wet snowfall tends to compact as it accumulates.
We also have to take into account how fast the rain will change to snow. The faster it happens the higher the chance to see forecasted totals. If it's a longer process to change over then snow totals will be lower than anticipated.
RELATED: Two All-Time Weather Records Could Fall In Denver With Stormy Week Ahead
A second storm moves in by Tuesday and it will stick around into part of Wednesday. We'll see a brief break Thursday before a third storm arrives Friday into Saturday.