May snowstorm skips over Fort Collins area; here's the forecast for the rest of the weekend

Fort Collins residents woke to sunshine and even some blue skies looking over their green grass Saturday morning while farther south, snow was blanketing the landscape.

Snow totals ranged from trace amounts to less than an inch in the Fort Collins, Loveland and Windsor area, according to reports from weather watchers on the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network on Saturday morning.

Precipitation amounted to 0.15 for a 24-hour period ending Saturday morning, according to the weather station at Colorado State University.

West of Fort Collins, snow totals were higher, with 8.7 inches in Estes Park. Rocky Mountain National Park reported 11 new snow inches overnight.

More snow fell in the Denver metro area than in Fort Collins, ranging from just a couple inches to 9 inches. Higher totals were reported further south and west, and the Palmer Divide between Colorado Springs and Denver was hit hard.

For the rest of Saturday, the National Weather Service said bands of moderate to heavy snowfall are possible south and west of Denver. Otherwise, light snow elsewhere could still cause broken branches and downed power lines.

Should I still cover my plants?

As for the cold, in Fort Collins, it nearly reached freezing Friday into Saturday but not quite. The Fort Collins weather station at Colorado State University reported an overnight low of 33 degrees.

But gardeners will want to cover their plants again tonight because the forecast calls for a low around 30 degrees on Saturday night.

More: How to care for your plants during a freeze

Power outages in some areas

Power outages were reported across Colorado on Saturday morning, but there were few in Larimer County.

Xcel Energy reported more than 1,500 outages in the Denver metro area as of mid-morning Saturday. No Xcel outages were reported north of Longmont, according to Xcel's outage map.

In Fort Collins Utilities' service area, there were no outages due to weather, according to the Fort Collins Utilities outage map.

Poudre Valley REA reported outages affecting almost 100 customers in south Larimer County and Boulder County as of midmorning, according to its map.

Fort Collins forecast

Here's the Fort Collins forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: There's a chance of snow showers before 1 p.m., then a slight chance of rain showers. Thunder is possible. It's expected to be mostly cloudy with a high near 50. The chance of precipitation is 30%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tonight: 10% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. South wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light and variable.

Sunday: 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Increasing clouds, with a high near 59. North wind 6 to 13 mph becoming south southeast in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. On Sunday night, there's a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. East southeast wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Monday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms possible after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 61. East wind 6 to 13 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. On Monday night, there's a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.

Tuesday: A 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. In the evening, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38.

Snow totals

Here are some snow totals Saturday morning, as reported by weather watchers to CoCoRAHS or the National Weather Service:

Fort Collins: Trace

Windsor: Trace

Loveland: Trace to 1 inch

Drake: 7 inches

Estes Park: 8.7 inches

Glen Haven: 9 inches

Boulder: 5 to 8 inches

Nederland: 13.2

Evergreen: 13.5

Golden: 14.3

Morrison: 12.5

Idaho Springs: 20.2

Denver metro area: 2 to 9 inches

Castle Rock: 9.5 inches

Colorado Springs: 8 to 12 inches

Black Forest (Palmer Divide): 13 to 17 inches

Palmer Lake: 19 inches

Canon City: 20 inches

Rebecca Powell is a content strategist at the Coloradoan, working to connect our community with the answers they seek. Contact her at RebeccaPowell@coloradoan.com. The Coloradoan can't do the important work of keeping our community informed without you. Support us by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: May snowstorm skips over Fort Collins area; here's weekend forecast