Tonight’s Forecast:
Don’t be fooled by relatively calm conditions this afternoon. The storm that warranted a Blizzard Warning for northern El Paso County until noon Thursday continues to evolve this afternoon with some heavy snow, high winds, and whiteout driving conditions. Conditions will become worse overnight with plenty of dangerous winter weather spreading south to the southern I-25 corridor and plains during the same time frame. The winds along and especially east of I-25 tonight will gust from 50 to 70 mph with the heaviest snow falling in Teller County and over Monument Hill. Far less snow will fall in Colorado Springs south of Briargate, but whiteout driving conditions are still a possibility through the evening. Pueblo and areas east into the plains will see little snow accumulation but strong, possibly damaging winds, and at times whiteout driving conditions overnight.
(Above: KOAA News5 Livestream)
Tomorrow’s Forecast:
Other than a few flurries in the morning, most of the snow will be done across southern Colorado for the morning commute, but the winds will still likely be strong. Temperatures overnight will fall rapidly into the teens and 20s across the region with wind chills in the single digits or below zero, especially over Monument Hill by tomorrow morning. Most of Thursday will be dry with strong morning winds slowly decreasing into the afternoon.
COLORADO SPRINGS: Low: 23, High: 41. Rain changing to snow late today and lasting well into the overnight hours, especially for areas along and north of Briargate. Snow totals from Briargate north will be between 2 to 5 inches, south of Briargate will be 2 inches to a trace. Wind speeds overnight could gust over 50 mph east of I-25 with hazardous drives on highway 24 and 94 through the overnight hours. Wind chills will drop into the single digits overnight. Thursday will be dry, other than a stray morning flurry, with decreasing winds through the day.
PUEBLO: Low: 28, High: 48. Rain will eventually change to snow later tonight, but little to no accumulation is expected across town. Whiteout driving conditions should be expected tonight, even with snowfall totals looking as low as they do. Wind chills could be in the teens or single digits by tomorrow morning. Thursday will be dry and windy with decreasing winds into the afternoon.
CANON CITY: Low: 29, High: 47. Rain will eventually turn to snow tonight, but the valley surrounding Canon City will act as a natural block and prevent heavy accumulation and strong winds from hitting the city. Light blowing snow is still expected overnight with only a stray flurry left early tomorrow morning. Thursday will be dry with decreasing winds into the afternoon.
WOODLAND PARK: Low: 13, High: 32. Snow in the afternoon will fall heavily through the evening hours and cut back to stary flurries after midnight tonight. The winds are going to be strong through Teller County, but not as strong as we’ll see east of the mountains in Colorado Springs. Temperatures and wind chills overnight will plummet with wind chills likely below freezing by tomorrow morning. 4 to 8 inches of snow are possible across town by tomorrow morning. Thursday will start cold, dry, and windy with decreasing winds in the afternoon.
TRI-LAKES: Low: 10s, High: 30s. The worst of this storm will fall over the Tri-Lakes area with snow falling well into the overnight hours and ending as flurries by tomorrow morning with totals from 4 to 8 inches. Winds will gust over 40 mph and create blizzard and whiteout conditions to the point that driving after 6 pm will be dangerous and life-threatening. Wind chills will drop to below zero by Thursday morning. Thursday will start cold and windy with a few flurries but end as a dry and chilly day with lighter afternoon winds.
PLAINS: Low: 20s, High: 40s. Rain will change to snow overnight but snow accumulation looks to stay low for most areas. La Junta and the surrounding towns will likely stay at or under one inch, but Prowers to Kiowa counties could get between 1 to 3 inches by Thursday morning. Winds gusting between 50 to 70 mph overnight will make late night travel dangerous. Thursday will start with a few stray flurries and a strong wind, but the winds will die down in the afternoon.
WALSENBURG/TRINIDAD: Low: 20s, High: 40s. Rain turns to heavy snow quickly tonight and piles up across the Raton Mesa. Snow totals from Walsenburg to Trinidad by Thursday morning will range from 2 to 5 inches with gusty winds between 20 to 40 mph. Thursday will start off dry and cold with lighter winds in the afternoon.
Extended Outlook:
Another round of snow is possible Friday afternoon into early Saturday morning, but as of now, it looks nothing like this storm system. Temperatures will be in the 40s and 50s for the next few days, with sunny skies and much warmer air by Sunday. The next chance for any rain or snow in the long term forecast comes Tuesday.
