Biggest winter storm to hit Colorado's Front Range in at least 3 years to hit Denver area Until Friday morning.
The storm initially brought nearly an inch of rain on Wednesday and was enough to break the city's daily rainfall record on March 13. As the rain turned to snow early Thursday morning, snow was up to 1 inch per hour in Denver and beyond. 2 inches per hour at base.
Snow is heavy and wet, which means tree limbs are broken Power outages The storm will be a concern throughout the season.
Snow in downtown Denver is biggest in 3 years
For much of the Denver metro area, this storm will bring the most snow seen since a March 13-14, 2021 storm brought 27.1 inches of snow. As of Thursday morning, downtown Denver had 8-12 inches of snow through Friday morning. There was no measurable snow at the airport as of 8 a.m. Thursday, as significant amounts of snow fell northeast of Denver.
Denver's southern and western suburbs will see at least 18 inches of snow
This storm is benefiting from a strong “top.” A northeasterly wind blows across Colorado's eastern plains and pushes upslope as it reaches the foothills and Palmer Divide in Douglas and Elbert counties. Upward motion increases snowfall and results in greater snow accumulation.
That's why low-lying areas of Jefferson County, including Golden and Lakewood, western Arapahoe County, including Littleton, and Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Castle Rock and Castle Pines in Douglas County will have the most snowfall in the metro area. Most neighborhoods in these communities will see another 10-15 inches of snow by Friday morning.
The Colorado foothills are buried, with more than 3 feet of snow expected
The heaviest additional accumulation will be in the foothills of Jefferson, Boulder and Larimer counties, including much of the 6,000 to 9,000 feet west of Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins. These areas will see an additional 15 to 25 inches of snow.
More than 3 feet of snow is common, and some areas especially along the Peak-to-Peak Highway may measure more than 4 feet, which is unusual for a storm even for the high country.
Ski areas in the central and northern mountains measure snow in feet instead of inches
Eldora Ski Area, located 15 miles west of Boulder, has measured 30 inches so far and announced it will close Thursday. Other Colorado ski areas, including Loveland, Arapahoe Basin and Echo Mountain, will also not be open Thursday due to closed roads. Others, such as Breckenridge and Keystone, plan to remain open.
