Snow Diving South to Denver, Even Albuquerque

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

December 8,2012; 5:02PM,EST

Snow is not only heading to the Upper Midwest this weekend, but also southward through the Rockies, whitening Denver and even Albuquerque in the process.

The snow invading the Rockies will continue its march southward through Sunday night, pressing across Utah, Colorado and into New Mexico. The snow will even graze northeastern Arizona on Sunday.
The ski slopes within the mountains of Colorado and northeastern New Mexico will welcome a fresh 3 to 6 inches of snow. Lighter amounts are in store for Utah's Wasatch Mountains.
Along the neighboring I-25 corridor, a general 1 to 3 inches will whiten the Colorado communities from Denver to Colorado Springs to Pueblo to Trinidad and even southward to Las Vegas, N.M.
The snow will begin its march southward in Denver tonight before reaching Las Vegas, N.M., Sunday afternoon.
Late Sunday afternoon and evening, a coating to an inch of snow will even survive the trip into Albuquerque, N.M., a city that averages slightly more than 9 inches of snow each winter.

While adding to the festive mood of the holiday season, the snow does bring travel hazards. Motorists, including those on I-25, should use caution and prepare to encounter slick roadways, despite the warm start to the weekend.
With the snow will also come the arrival of significantly colder air, which will hold temperatures 20 to 30 degrees below today's highs across Colorado and northeastern New Mexico on Sunday.
Temperatures in Albuquerque will be held to near 45 degrees on Sunday, well short of today's high of around 60 degrees. A low of 17 degrees Sunday night will then definitely have residents shivering.
An end to the snow event in the Rockies will come Sunday night as a little snow steaks eastward onto the Texas Panhandle.