12:45 PM MST, Friday, March 8, 2019

A Pacific cold front will blow through this evening (probably between 4 and 8 PM for the Front Range region) accompanied by some brief showers of rain, snow, and or graupel. Precipitation probably won’t fall in all areas, but some local spots may get briefly moderate precipitation with strong west or northwest wind. The Storm Prediction Center has the area outlined for possible thunderstorms. There are a few lightning strikes showing up in western Colorado now, but it isn’t a lot, so I think there is a chance for thunder, but it is small.

After the precipitation is over the risk of gusty west or northwest winds may continue into early Saturday, with some localized gusts around 60 mph. The chances for precipitation for the remainder of the weekend are very low, and temperatures are likely to be near or a little below average.

For the mountains and high passes, more heavy snow today will likely taper to localized areas of lighter snowfall on Saturday. The avalanche risk might continue into the weekend, so check local travel routes and advisories if you are heading west.