Snow moves in tonight

After a long stretch of dry, mild weather across southern Colorado, a vigorous winter storm is finally moving into the Colorado Springs area late Thursday afternoon and evening, bringing accumulating snow, wind, and messy travel conditions through Friday morning.

What’s happening:
Areas through El Paso County and surrounding will be below freezing after 6 pm this evening, leading to snow sticking on the roadways. Through the heart of the storm that is hitting during the overnight hours, half an inch to an inch of snowfall rates are expected per hour.

Accumulations you may see:

• El Paso County: 5–10″ is possible by Friday afternoon, depending on elevation. Colorado Springs is likely 4-8” A Winter Storm Warning is in effect until 2 pm Friday for all of El Paso County.
• Manitou Springs and Woodland Park: Snowier totals (6–12″)
• Monument & Palmer Divide: Solid snow totals (5–10″) expected.
• Pikes Peak & high country: Significant Mountain snow is likely. Potentially seeing over a foot at the peak areas.

Wind & travel conditions:
Along with snow, winds will gust strongly on Friday morning, especially over the Divide and up toward higher elevations. That will lead to blowing snow and dramatically reduced visibility, making the Thursday evening and Friday morning commute tricky to slow.

On the ground tonight:
Snow should begin to stick after about 6 p.m., with the steadiest snow falling late tonight and early Friday.

Temps & tuning up for the weekend:
It will be cold — highs Friday only in the upper 20s to low 30s — then dry and calmer weather returns this weekend with sunshine and highs climbing back toward the 40s. However, the coldest air is settling in early Saturday morning with lows in the single digits.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.