So you weren't expecting snow? Fort Collins awakens to about 4 inches of it
Editor's note: This story was published Saturday, March 25. Looking for information about the snow on Monday, March 27? You can find that in this story: Heavy snow band in Fort Collins area to impact Monday morning travel
Fort Collins woke up to a bit of a surprise blanket of snow on Saturday morning after a storm blustered through Northern Colorado overnight.
The weather station at the Colorado State University campus recorded 4.2 inches of snow, and reports from weather watchers across Fort Collins to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network ranged from 3.5 to 5 inches west of Interstate 25.
Totals in Loveland were slightly lower, ranging from 2 to 4 inches.
Snow started to fall just after 11:30 p.m. Friday and continued for most of the night, according to the morning report from the weather station.
Roads, parking lots and sidewalks were crusty and dangerously icy to walk on by Saturday morning.
The snow moved out Saturday morning toward northeast Colorado, where windy and snowy conditions were causing hazardous travel conditions, according to reports.
Saturday morning read:Itching to work on your Colorado lawn or garden this spring? Here are tips to keep in mind
But were we even expecting the snow?
On Friday, the National Weather Service in Boulder was expecting what it referred to as light snow to fall over the Interstate 25 corridor overnight.
Then before midnight, it reported a line of snow showers moving from the foothills east across Interstate 25, noting it would cause brief, heavy snow and wind gusts as high as 40 mph, with an inch or less of accumulation expected.
But by 2 a.m., it reported that up to 4 inches of snow could fall in areas in the span of less than two hours.
More cold and snow Sunday/Monday?
It's going to be a colder weekend.
After warming up to a high of 37 degrees on Saturday, expect a low around 13 overnight in Fort Collins, according to the NWS forecast.
Then on Sunday, there's a 30% chance of snow in late afternoon, with the possibility of about a half inch of accumulation. Overnight, the chance rises to 50%, with a chance for 1 to 2 inches of snow. The high is expected to be around 40, with a low around 18.
On Monday, It's expected to be windy, with a chance for more snow after noon, according to the NWS forecast, with a high around 40 and a low of around 12 degrees.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Snow blankets Fort Collins, with a chance for more this weekend
