Denver Weather: Our Last Day In The 70s For A While!

 DENVER (CBS4) - After reaching the lower 70s in the Denver metro area on Sunday and Monday, it will happen again on Tuesday. Then a gradual cooling trend will start Wednesday and will culminate early next week with highs in the 30s and good chance for snow in Denver on Easter Sunday.

The official high temperature in Denver on Monday was 73 degrees. Most neighborhoods along the Front Range will stay a degree or two shy of Monday with highs closer to 70 degrees. It will not be a noticeable change but some wind gusting out of the southwest will be noticeable at times. Gusts could reach up to 30 mph.

Wednesday will only be slightly cooler and still above the normal high of 60 degrees on April 8 in Denver. Most mountain areas will see very little if any drop in temperatures and mostly sunny skies will continue to cover most of the state.

It's on Thursday that significantly cooler air will arrive with temperatures dropping into the 50s for the Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins areas. There is also a chance for rain showers at lower elevations but most of the moisture in Colorado on Thursday will be in the mountains where accumulating snow is likely on higher peaks and passes.

The change will be triggered by a storm system originating in California. But instead of racing across Colorado later this week, it will initially surge toward the state before backing west and eventually stalling over Utah and Arizona. Therefore, temperatures should actually warm back up somewhat for Friday and Saturday.

A strong cold front will put an end to the warming for Easter Sunday. Highs will likely drop into the 30s for the Denver metro area along with a good chance for snow. It's still too early to tell how much but as of early Tuesday morning it appears likely there will be accumulation.

After Tuesday, it will be at least 7-10 days before Denver has any chance of reaching 70 degrees again.