Localized Storm Socks Part Of Denver With Heavy Snow
DENVER (CBS4) - Some residents of the Denver metro area were surprised on Thursday night as a very localized snow storm left up to 7 inches in just a few hours.
The snow was the result of the circulation of winds around a storm system moving through the region.
Those winds helped created a highly localized upslope flow along the Palmer Divide, which is an area of higher terrain between Colorado Springs and Denver.
The result was a narrow band of moderate to heavy snow that left anywhere from 4 to 7 inches across the eastern side of metro Denver, including Castle Rock, Parker, Lone Tree, Aurora and northeast Denver.
By sharp contrast, locations on the north and west sides of metro Denver saw little to no snow, with most places measuring a half inch or less.
MORE: Unique Terrain Is Why Front Range Snow Totals Often Vary
MORE: Extreme Winter Weather in Colorado
The new year is off to a wintry start thanks to a blanket of snow from a series of storms since Christmas.
More snow is in the forecast as we head into the first weekend of 2015, both in the mountains along the Front Range and on the eastern plains.