Back to Back snowstorms for Denver Expected
Well, it hasn't been too long since our last snowfall. In fact, there's still snow in some of the shaded areas around town and definitely, lots of snow left in the Foothills and mountains.
Saturday will help take care of some of that snow that's lingering since temperatures by Saturday afternoon will be nearing 70º!
Then what?
STORM #1
Then the bottom falls out. There's a chance that we go four days without getting above freezing...A very strong cold front will move through the area Saturday night and bring very gusty winds with it. This will be associated with a big trough that will be digging through the Western half of the country. (this trough is actually being affected by an old typhoon in the northern Pacific! So cool.)
Okay, so cold front moves through Saturday night. Precipitation will not be far behind but with how warm it was Saturday afternoon, it may take some time for the atmosphere to cool completely so we may have to deal with a few hours of freezing drizzle or freezing rain for the early morning hours on Sunday leading to areas of black ice or a glaze of ice on windshields and branches and sidewalks.
By the time we wake up Sunday, we should have all snow falling outside. The models are suggesting this burst of energy aloft will slow down as it approaches and moves across Colorado making this a decently long-duration event. Snow should fall through the entire day Sunday with varying intensities. This should last into Monday morning. Snowfall totals for this first blast is likely to be in the 5-10" range! Winter storm alerts have been issued. They go into effect Saturday at midnight and last through Monday afternoon.
https://twitter.com/AndySteinWx/status/1187875151058104320
STORM #2
Remember that trough I mentioned above? Well, it's seeming as though it's going to hang around through Thursday. Another chunk of energy is going to roll across the state but this time, it's looking to be strong and colder. There is a good deal of model disagreement with this second blast but they are all point to extra snow and colder temperatures for Tuesday to Thursday morning.
Snow totals with the storm for the 29-30 will likely drop an additional 2-6" of snow (and that's being modest) and will bring arctic air with it. More on temperatures below. The snow with this second system is likely to be enough to allow for more winter weather highlights that will likely last through Thursday.
BE PREPARED
It's going to be cold. It's going to be snowing. It's going to be the workweek. Put some extra water in your car. Grab a few blankets and that car charger. Make sure you have a shovel and maybe some snacks as well. You don't want to be caught out in this cold unprepared.
TEMPERATURES
Denver is going to see another very drastic temperature drop with this event. A 40º+ temperature drop is looking likely. Now, that's not as large at the 72º temperature drop we saw earlier this month but it will be just as noticeable.
This is a look at the temperatures over the next 10 days or so. The red line denotes where our highs are normally for this time of the year. The blue line denotes where our average lows are for this time of the year.
What we can gather from this is that it is going to be VERY cold. We may not get above freezing for over 4 days. The possibility of setting numerous records is likely with this blast of cold and snow. And if you look further out into the forecast (which isn't always reliable but a good indicator most times of what's to come), we continue to see cold last through the first week of November.
SUMMARY
Sunday through Thursday is likely to be mainly cloudy, record cold and very snowy. By the end of the week, there could be many areas around the metro that see more than a foot of snow!
Get all of your winter gear ready. Get your car ready and be ready to hunker down as we endure an early elongated blast of arctic air.
Keep up with me on twitter: @AndySteinwx or on Facebook: facebook.com/AndySteinwx.
It's going to be a rough weather week for us!
BONUS READ:
GET THIS
What's will officially go down in the record books for Denver is the snow that falls out at Denver International Airport. As of Friday, October 25, 2019, Denver is officially reporting only 1" of snow accumulation for the month...I think we can all agree that's not true for the downtown area or really, many other areas across the Front Range. What has fallen near downtown Denver is likely closer to the 6-8". So that 1" total we currently have, isn't perfectly representative of actual snowfall across the region.
DENVER'S SNOWIEST OCTOBER'S
31.2" - 1969
22.7" - 1906
22.1" - 1997
DENVER'S BIGGEST OCTOBER SNOWSTORMS
22.7" - October 20-23, 1906
21.9" - October 24-25, 1997
16.0" - October 3-5, 1969
It's likely that we'll make it into the top 20 snowiest October's and could make a running for a top spot in the biggest snowstorms category. So much to watch, so little time to prepare.
~Rain or shine
I'm Andy Stein
Saturday will help take care of some of that snow that's lingering since temperatures by Saturday afternoon will be nearing 70º!
Then what?
STORM #1
Then the bottom falls out. There's a chance that we go four days without getting above freezing...A very strong cold front will move through the area Saturday night and bring very gusty winds with it. This will be associated with a big trough that will be digging through the Western half of the country. (this trough is actually being affected by an old typhoon in the northern Pacific! So cool.)
Okay, so cold front moves through Saturday night. Precipitation will not be far behind but with how warm it was Saturday afternoon, it may take some time for the atmosphere to cool completely so we may have to deal with a few hours of freezing drizzle or freezing rain for the early morning hours on Sunday leading to areas of black ice or a glaze of ice on windshields and branches and sidewalks.
By the time we wake up Sunday, we should have all snow falling outside. The models are suggesting this burst of energy aloft will slow down as it approaches and moves across Colorado making this a decently long-duration event. Snow should fall through the entire day Sunday with varying intensities. This should last into Monday morning. Snowfall totals for this first blast is likely to be in the 5-10" range! Winter storm alerts have been issued. They go into effect Saturday at midnight and last through Monday afternoon.
https://twitter.com/AndySteinWx/status/1187875151058104320
 |
| WINTER STORM WATCH issued for areas in blue |
Remember that trough I mentioned above? Well, it's seeming as though it's going to hang around through Thursday. Another chunk of energy is going to roll across the state but this time, it's looking to be strong and colder. There is a good deal of model disagreement with this second blast but they are all point to extra snow and colder temperatures for Tuesday to Thursday morning.
Snow totals with the storm for the 29-30 will likely drop an additional 2-6" of snow (and that's being modest) and will bring arctic air with it. More on temperatures below. The snow with this second system is likely to be enough to allow for more winter weather highlights that will likely last through Thursday.
BE PREPARED
It's going to be cold. It's going to be snowing. It's going to be the workweek. Put some extra water in your car. Grab a few blankets and that car charger. Make sure you have a shovel and maybe some snacks as well. You don't want to be caught out in this cold unprepared.
TEMPERATURES
Denver is going to see another very drastic temperature drop with this event. A 40º+ temperature drop is looking likely. Now, that's not as large at the 72º temperature drop we saw earlier this month but it will be just as noticeable.
 |
| ECMWF Temperature Forecast |
This is a look at the temperatures over the next 10 days or so. The red line denotes where our highs are normally for this time of the year. The blue line denotes where our average lows are for this time of the year.
What we can gather from this is that it is going to be VERY cold. We may not get above freezing for over 4 days. The possibility of setting numerous records is likely with this blast of cold and snow. And if you look further out into the forecast (which isn't always reliable but a good indicator most times of what's to come), we continue to see cold last through the first week of November.
SUMMARY
Sunday through Thursday is likely to be mainly cloudy, record cold and very snowy. By the end of the week, there could be many areas around the metro that see more than a foot of snow!
Get all of your winter gear ready. Get your car ready and be ready to hunker down as we endure an early elongated blast of arctic air.
Keep up with me on twitter: @AndySteinwx or on Facebook: facebook.com/AndySteinwx.
It's going to be a rough weather week for us!
BONUS READ:
GET THIS
What's will officially go down in the record books for Denver is the snow that falls out at Denver International Airport. As of Friday, October 25, 2019, Denver is officially reporting only 1" of snow accumulation for the month...I think we can all agree that's not true for the downtown area or really, many other areas across the Front Range. What has fallen near downtown Denver is likely closer to the 6-8". So that 1" total we currently have, isn't perfectly representative of actual snowfall across the region.
DENVER'S SNOWIEST OCTOBER'S
31.2" - 1969
22.7" - 1906
22.1" - 1997
DENVER'S BIGGEST OCTOBER SNOWSTORMS
22.7" - October 20-23, 1906
21.9" - October 24-25, 1997
16.0" - October 3-5, 1969
It's likely that we'll make it into the top 20 snowiest October's and could make a running for a top spot in the biggest snowstorms category. So much to watch, so little time to prepare.
~Rain or shine
I'm Andy Stein
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