Wind chills could drop to as low as -35 in Colorado in upcoming days
All signs continue to point to an extended period of dangerously cold wind chills as we rapidly approach the weekend. The surge of Arctic air prompted an expansion of a Wind Chill Watch for the weekend. This Wind Chill Watch includes eastern Colorado, extending to the Interstate 25 corridor. From Saturday morning through Tuesday morning wind chills could drop as low as -35 degrees. Under conditions like that, frostbite is possible on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.
Actual air temperatures will likely not get out of the single digits through the weekend, with overnight lows dipping below zero.
Several chances of snow are also possible through the weekend, amounting to a total of 1-3" for parts of the Denver metro and Front Range, with more into the foothills.
More heavy mountain snow is prompting Winter Storm Watches to go into place for the northern mountains and Western Slope through Saturday, but more heavy snow is expected Saturday into Sunday.
Snow totals in the mountains will be measured in feet for many areas this weekend, with 1-3 feet expected in many areas. Travel in the high country has already been an issue this week, with dangerous travel possible heading into the long weekend.
If you have plans to head up to the high country over the long weekend, pay close attention to road conditions, as heavy snow and wind will cause low visibility, snow-covered roads, and drifting across many mountain highways and passes.