March snowstorm to blanket Colorado at late week

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

March 18,2016; 12:53AM,EDT

 

 

A return of chilly air and a shift in the wind will allow heavy snow to fall on parts of the central Rockies and High Plains, including Denver, from Thursday night into early Friday.
The pattern of unseasonable warmth has come to an end over Colorado. Following weeks of temperatures averaging 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, temperatures will average several degrees below normal for the rest of the week. The colder air is setting the stage for travel-disrupting snow.

People should be prepared for slushy travel around the city, snow-covered roads in the mountains and potential airline delays.
Those attending the first round games of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in Denver will need to use caution when departing the arena Thursday night.
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The snowstorm will develop as a fresh injection of cold air is funneled uphill over Colorado prior to the end of the week.
This occurrence is common in the region during the fall, winter and spring. In fact, much of the snow around Denver occurs at the beginning and end of the winter season and overlaps part of the fall and spring.
Snowfall will range from a slushy inch or two on grassy surfaces in west-central Kansas and southwestern Nebraska to a few inches in the Denver Metro area and a foot of snow over the high country in the central Colorado Rockies.

"Motorists should anticipate slippery conditions along portions of Interstate 25 from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and a considerable stretch of highway along I-70 from near the Kansas border, westward to the eastern slopes and passes of the Rockies," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.
Travel along portions of I-76 in Colorado and I-80 in Wyoming will be slippery as well.
Road conditions can deteriorate rapidly Thursday night and remain slippery into the morning rush hour on Friday.
Temperatures will hover at chilly levels into the start of the weekend, before jumping into the 40s, 50s and 60s on Sunday. Snow that does not slowly melt on Friday will disappear over the weekend outside of the Rockies. Those heading to Denver to see the second round games of the NCAA tournament on Saturday may have to deal with slippery roads in the morning.