12:50 PM MST, Friday, February 5, 2021
It will get much colder over the next week before it gets warmer! The weather pattern has very cold air pushing southward through the Great Plains and westward to the Rockies. For now we are on the western edge, so it’s not too bad along the Front Range, but that is likely to change, especially from Monday onward.
Friday-Sunday
The snow in the mountains should end by Saturday, while it remains dry in the eastern foothills and plains. A strong cold front is pushing southward into Nebraska and northeastern Wyoming at midday Friday and should move into eastern Colorado tonight. Because we are on the edge of this cold air mass, there is a chance that Saturday afternoon will be like today, but I think you should be prepared for a colder day and maybe some low clouds or freezing drizzle in the early morning.
The next cold front Sunday evening may be preceded by a little downslope warming in and along the foothills on Sunday. But don’t get used to it.
Monday-Friday
Cold weather should take hold by Monday, and will probably be followed by additional cold fronts through the week. Because the middle levels of the atmosphere are likely to be dry early in the week, little or no snow is likely at first, but I expect there may be freezing drizzle by Monday morning. (Freezing drizzle occurs when we have shallow clouds, but no ice crystals from above.) Later in the week as more moisture in the mid levels approaches, the chances for snow accumulation increases. The cold spell may extend to the next weekend, but more on that in later updates.
