Freezing temperatures again in Denver, more snow in Colorado mountains
KUSA - The powerful storm that brought blizzard conditions to the high country and damaging wind to the Front Range is moving northeast away from the area, leaving cold temperatures behind.
This most recent storm dumped 1 to 2 feet of snow in many mountain areas, and the cold air that followed the front prompted the National Weather Service to issue freeze and frost advisories for the Front Range again Tuesday.
A FREEZE WARNING has been issued for the Denver area on Tuesday night and it will last until 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Even though it will be lighter, the snowfall in the mountains will continue until Wednesday afternoon and strong winds are making travel dangerous across the state regardless of snow. This is all part of a monster Midwestern storm that may be the strongest ever recorded.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect until 9 a.m. Wednesday for the northern and central mountains, mainly along north and northwest facing slopes.
9NEWS Meteorologist Kathy Sabine is forecasting another 4 to 8 inches of new snowfall through early Wednesday morning along west and northwest facing slopes in the northern two-thirds of the state, with much less accumulation in valley areas.
The strong winds accompanying this snow could create limited visibility for drivers on mountain highways through the night. The snow should end completely by early Wednesday afternoon. Several days of dry weather are forecast for mountain areas after this storm ends.
Winds for Denver and the Front Range will stay in the 15 to 30 mph range through the evening with occasional gusts to 45 mph. During the overnight hours the winds should abate slightly but will stay at least 10 to 20 mph from the northwest.
The cause of this intense wind is a deep low pressure area in northern Minnesota that deepened to 28.20" sea-level pressure. If this measurement is verified it will be the most powerful non-tropical storm in the history of the mainland United States. More powerful than the "Storm of the Century" in 1993, or the 1975 storm that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald.
This storm is more powerful than 5 of the 10 hurricanes that have formed in the Atlantic Basin this hurricane season.
Kathy says that these winds may keep temperatures above freezing but he cautions that even if the wind dies down for just one hour, temperatures could easily drop down into the 20s.
