Temperatures will finally lift above freezing Tuesday afternoon, after a bone-chilling holiday weekend that brought dangerously cold conditions across Colorado.
Tuesday morning will remain frigid, with temperatures in single digits to teens across the Denver metro and subzero along the I-25 corridor. Further west, Grand County received extreme cold warnings as temperatures plummeted to -44 degrees with wind chill overnight. Despite the lingering cold, the National Weather Service says by this afternoon, much of the state will be warming up.
“[We’re] finally climbing above freezing outside of the mountains,” Bruno Rodriguez, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said. “But there’s still some concerns as well for areas of blowing snow and drifting snow — especially closer to the foothills where we're going to have breezy conditions basically through the day.”
According to Rodriguez, gusty winds are creating hazardous travel conditions in some areas. The National Weather Service has received reports that along Highway 93, between Golden and Boulder, "significant amounts "quite a bit" of snow is blowing across the road.
By this afternoon, temperatures in the Denver metro will be around the low to mid-30s, with some areas nearing 40 degrees. The gradual warming is expected to continue throughout the week, with highs reaching the upper 40s by Friday across the Front Range and Eastern Plains.
But the warmer weather won’t last for long.
By Friday afternoon, a snow storm is expected to hit the entire state — bringing more snow and freezing temperatures. According to Rodriguez, the central and northern mountains, along with the foothills and Denver metro, are expected to receive the heaviest snowfall.
