12:35 PM, Friday, February 10, 2017
The strong chinook winds and record temperatures are in their final day, for this round. At noon record warm temperatures were being observed up and down the Front Range. We are likely to get close to the monthly records of 77 in Denver and 79 in Boulder.
A trend toward cooler weather will begin Saturday morning and there will probably be a distinct cold front passage during the afternoon with brief gusty north or northeast winds. The air mass behind the front is of polar-Pacific origin rather than arctic, so Sunday’s temperatures should be near average.
The north-northeasterly surge Saturday will be conducive to clouds and precipitation but the upper air setup isn’t very favorable to precipitation, especially from Denver north. Expect a brief period or rain or snow below 7000 feet and snow higher up late Saturday afternoon or night. Accumulations are likely to be below an inch from Denver north. Accumulations south of Denver should be relatively minor too, but there is a better chance for a couple inches.