Denver Weather: Winter Returns With Snow And Bitterly Cold Temperatures

DENVER (CBS4) - A winter storm that will last for two days hit Colorado early Wednesday morning. Snow will develop throughout the day causing slick and slow travel in most areas. The CBS4 Weather Team has declared both Wednesday and Thursday First Alert Weather Days due to the cold and snow.

For Denver and the Front Range, there is a Winter Weather Advisory through 5 a.m. Thursday for at least 2-5 inches of snow. The Fort Collins and Boulder areas may get higher amounts. The foothills of Boulder and Larimer Counties will almost certainly get higher amounts with up to 8 inches around Estes Park, Ward, and Nederland.

In the mountains, most areas are under a Winter Weather Advisory until at least 11 a.m. Thursday. Total snowfall will reach at least 8 inches at most ski areas and some locations in the high country will get much more. Plan on very slick and very slow travel in the mountains through Thursday morning including along I-70, Highway 285, Highway 50, and US 40.

There are also Winter Weather Advisories across most of the Eastern Plains as well in southern Colorado including the Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Walsenburg, and Trinidad areas. The exception is Yuma and Kit Carson Counties on the plains where there is a Winter Storm Warning for slightly higher snow totals along the I-70 corridor east of Limon.

There is a also a Winter Storm Warning for Colorado's northwest mountains including the Park Range, the Flat Tops, Rabbit Ears Pass, and the Steamboat Springs area for 10-20 inches of additional snow through Thursday morning.

In terms of temperatures, the entire state will be colder than normal Wednesday and Thursday with the Denver metro area stuck in the upper teens and lower 20s both day. Single digit temperatures will be widespread Thursday morning and Friday morning will be even colder. There is a good chance Denver officially reaches zero degrees Friday morning.

Sunshine Friday afternoon should push temperatures above freezing for a couple hours. Then a much bigger warming trend will start Saturday and by next Tuesday the Front Range should reach at least 70 degrees.