Today’s forecast:
There’s a lot to cover in today’s weather forecast for Southern Colorado. Dense, freezing fog caused travel problems in the Arkansas River Valley and parts of the Pikes Peak region this morning. Allow extra travel time in the Pikes Peak region and the eastern US-50 corridor this morning – be especially careful on bridges and overpasses, which tend to freeze first. Fog will clear as the morning progresses, but low clouds will remain in the Arkansas River Valley for most of the day.

Meanwhile, in the southern plains, there is a risk of fire with clear skies, gusty winds on the slopes and dry air. A Red Flag Warning is in effect for Huerfano and E. Las Animas counties from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A cold front is approaching from the northwest this evening. This will be a stormy and strong arctic air front with wind gusts of 20-25 mph as it passes through your city. Over the eastern Plains and the Palmer Divide, wind gusts will be closer to 30-35 mph. This front will receive a short period of snow, with the best snow potential over the central eastern Plains. Snow totals will be relatively low in this system, likely at 0 to 2 inches, particularly in the Eastern Plains counties where isolated snow totals of 3 inches are possible. Parts of the Eastern Plains will also see some freezing drizzle – and winter weather warnings are in place for that issue.

Maximum temperatures will be significantly colder today than yesterday, primarily due to the reduced sunshine we will see today between fog and low clouds. Still, highs along most of the southern Front Range should relatively average in the low 40s. An exception is the southern plain, where downslope winds lead to mild maximum temperatures.

Early afternoon is probably a good time to work on dismantling outdoor Christmas decorations—but only if you can complete the project by 6 p.m. or reach a point where the remaining items are still safe. Once the front arrives, it will be windy, and with snow showers possible, you won’t want to spend a lot of time outside… even if there isn’t much snow at your house.

Forecast for Colorado Springs: High: 43; Low: 18.
The fog clears early around lunchtime. Be careful on overpasses and bridges as black ice can form there. This will be followed by a period of sunshine until around 4 p.m., during which low cloud cover should increase again as a cold front approaches. The front should cross the region around 6 p.m., passing your neighborhood with gusty winds around 25 mph. The front will be followed by a short burst of snow with minor accumulations overall. However, due to gusts of wind, visibility may be temporarily reduced late in the evening and showers may occur. Accumulations should be between a trace and 2 inches.

Pueblo Forecast: High: 40; Low: 19.
Fog will clear over the next few hours and low clouds will remain for most of the day. This will result in cool high temperatures in the upper 30s to near 40 degrees. Tonight a cold front will approach around 7:00 p.m. Behind that, a quick shot of light snow is possible, but accumulations will be minimal – and more of a factor for counties farther east in the Arkansas River Valley. Upslope easterly winds will blow at 5-10 mph, turning north at 15-25 mph after the front passes.

Canon City forecast: High: 51; Low: 22.
The fog and low morning clouds will clear around 12:30 this afternoon. The clear skies last relatively briefly and high clouds return around 2pm, but it’s still an improvement on the morning conditions! A cold front is approaching from the northwest, arriving around 5 p.m. Brief snow showers are possible behind the front, with a 30% chance by 9pm this evening. Overall, the impact of snow will be small – but the front will bring significant breezes and rapid arctic cooling. Skies should be partly cloudy again around 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning.

Woodland Park Forecast: High: 43; Low: 12.
While the city will be largely above clouds this morning, expect clouds in the afternoon ahead of an approaching cold front. Ahead of this front, today will be windy with west-southwest winds of 10-20 mph and gusts up to 25 mph at times. The front should arrive around 5:00 this evening bringing clouds, a northerly breeze and a brief sprinkling of snow. The best chances are between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. (50%).

Tri Lakes Forecast: High: 40s; Low: Teenager.
Skies are mostly clear this morning – a trend that is expected to continue throughout the day. If you want to go for a hike or bike ride today, this is the place to do it. A cold front will arrive around 4pm this afternoon, bringing clouds, gusty winds and snow showers. Rapid cooling – expect a temperature drop of 10 degrees within an hour of the front passing your home.

Plains forecast: High: 20s/30s; Low: Teenager.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY from 11:00 AM SATURDAY – 8:00 AM SUNDAY

It will be very cold all day and temperatures will struggle to rise above the 20s. A blanket of low-hanging clouds and easterly slope winds help trap a layer of dense cold air near the ground, with warmer air directly above. This situation is called a “warm nose” and may result in freezing rain tonight. A light freezing drizzle is possible earlier in the day, particularly in Prowers and Kiowa counties, where a winter weather advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. today through 8 a.m. Sunday. At around 8 p.m. a cold front will approach from the north, followed by snow showers. Tonight, you can expect a track of up to 2 inches of snow across the eastern Plains.

Forecast for Walsenburg and Trinidad: High: 54/58; Low: 20/19.
FIRE WEATHER WARNING from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m

Sunny skies and strong downslope breezes result in a high fire danger today. Avoid outdoor burns. A cold front will occur between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. As it arrives, clouds will increase, fire danger will decrease and snow showers are possible, generally between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., with a 40% chance. Due to the short duration of possible snowfall, accumulations will be light.

Mountain Forecast: High: 40s; Low: Teenager.
Sunny at the beginning, cloudy at the end, with gusty winds throughout the day on western and eastern slopes. At higher altitudes, gusts will be stronger on the western slopes. At low altitudes they are higher on eastern slopes due to the gradient. A cold front will bring a chance of snow to the mountains this evening.

Advanced Forecast Forecast:

An active pattern will remain in place for most of the next week. Sunday will be cold all day, after today’s cold front with highs around 30°C at best. Monday will be a “break day” with near-normal highs in the 40s. This is a good day to remove exterior decorations if you are still working on them. Freezing fog is expected on Monday night. Tuesday will be cold with highs in the upper 20s as another cold front arrives. This system will bring snow showers across the region, with Tuesday morning looking to be the strongest impact period – I expect at least 2 inches of snow in the Pikes Peak region, stay tuned for further updates on this system. Combined – Tuesday will be very cold, with As snow showers remain unsettled in the upper elevations, temperatures will remain low in the mid 30s to upper 30s for the remainder of the week. The likelihood of another storm is unclear at the moment.

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