Get out the ice scrapers and snow boots.
The National Weather Service expects between 4 to 6 inches of snow to fall on the Front Range on Monday to become metro area’s first snow of the season. Denver and its western suburbs are expected to feel the overnight change in weather, with snow also expected from Castle Rock to Fort Collins. Some places could get up to 8 inches.
But as Denver weather goes, the below-freezing forecast will follow a much warmer Sunday, which is expected pleasant and in the mid-70s. Temperatures on Saturday hit a high of 80 in Denver.
Forecasters urge people to use the weekend’s nice weather to get ready by checking their tires and making sure emergency kits with flashlights, blankets and ice scrapers are ready to go.
The mercury will drop rapidly Sunday evening when a strong cold front and vigorous storm system move into the area, the National Weather Service said in its storm watch report. The winter storm watch could bring snow, sleet or ice to the region is in effect from late Sunday night and through Monday afternoon.
The cold temperatures will cause the rain to turn to snow around midnight across the I-25 corridor and Eastern Plains, the weather service said. Northerly wind gusts could reach 30 miles per hour.
In Boulder County and up to the Rocky Mountain National Park, the Weather Service is predicting 6 to 12 inches of snow, with up to 16 inches in some areas.
A heavy, wet snow could cause power outages if it accumulates on trees still bearing leaves, the weather service said. Snow-covered and slushy roads are possible.
Mountain areas about 6,000 feet in Jefferson, Douglas, Boulder and Gilpin counties will receive moderate to heavy snowfall from Sunday night through Monday. Travel could be hazardous, the weather service said.
While the snow will stop on Monday, the bitter cold will stick around awhile longer, the weather service said.
Clear skies will prevail Monday night but temperatures will fall further, bringing the region’s first hard freeze. Click here for more Denver7 weather coverage.