White Thanksgiving forecast for Fort Collins with 7 inches of snow expected
Traveling to your Thanksgiving Day destination will be a piece of cake, but returning might be dicey.
A storm system bearing down on Northern Colorado is forecast to bring 7 inches of snow to Fort Collins as well as a swift and significant change in temperature, impacting travel during the busy holiday period.
Here's what you need to know, including timing of the storm, travel impacts and how much snow is expected.
Winter storm warning includes Fort Collins and much of Larimer County
The National Weather Service on Wednesday afternoon issued a winter storm warning for much of Larimer County and the foothills south toward west of Denver from 4 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday.
Heavy snow is possible with total snow accumulations between 4 and 10 inches expected and some areas possibly receiving higher snowfall amounts.
More: Deadly stretch This stretch of I-25 through Larimer County is among nation's deadliest over Thanksgiving
Timing of snow and cold and travel impacts from Thanksgiving storm
Moderate to heavy snow will begin in the northern Front Range foothills beginning in the evening on Thanksgiving (Thursday, Nov. 23), and continuing through Friday, with the heaviest snow occurring late Thursday evening and overnight.
Travel impacts can be expected for U.S. Highway 34 and U.S. Highway 36 east of Estes Park as well as Colorado Highway 14 from Fort Collins to Rustic.
Avoid or delay travel in these areas if possible. If travel is absolutely necessary, make sure to prepare a winter travel kit.
For updated road conditions, visit www.cotrip.org.
As you've heard, we have a little snow coming for the tail end of Thanksgiving! More info on snow amounts/timing on the way, but for now here's a look at snowfall probabilities for a few locations (Thu PM - Sat PM).
Beware of single value forecasts - they mask uncertainty! #COwx pic.twitter.com/hLmTaX71J8— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) November 22, 2023
Thanksgiving snowfall total forecast for Fort Collins, other Colorado areas
Here are expected snowfall totals as of Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service for Thursday through Saturday:
Fort Collins: Expected snowfall amount of 7 inches. 96% chance of 2 inches of snow or more, 86% chance of 4 inches or more, 63% chance of 6 inches or more and 34% chance of 8 inches or more.
Red Feather Lakes: 5-8 inches
Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park: 2-6 inches
Greeley: 4-7 inches
Cheyenne, Wyoming: 6-9 inches
Boulder: 5-9 inches
Denver: 2-6 inches
Denver International Airport: 2-5 inches
Sterling: 3-7 inches
Fort Morgan: 2-5 inches
Walden: 1-3 inches
Steamboat Springs: 2-3 inches
Winter Park: 2-3 inches
Vail: 2-4 inches
Castle Rock: 2-5 inches
Colorado Springs: 2-6 inches
⚠️Heads up post-holiday travelers!
🌨️Light-moderate snow is expected across the region in the Thurs evening through early Sat timeframe.
🚗Expect at least minor impacts to travel.
Plan accordingly and monitor the forecast. #COwx pic.twitter.com/YvznejmoPC— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) November 23, 2023
Fort Collins forecast goes from balmy to frigid as Thanksgiving storm approaches
Here is the National Weather Forecast for Fort Collins through the weekend:
Wednesday (Nov. 22): Sunny with well-above-average temperature of 65 degrees, calm wind and low around 29 degrees.
Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23): 20% chance of rain and snow between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., then a slight chance of snow after 4 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41 and wind 5 to 13 mph, gusting to as high as 21 mph.
Thanksgiving night: 90% chance of precipitation with 2 to 4 inches of snow possible. Low around 16 degrees.
Friday (Nov. 24): 80% chance of snow, mainly before 11 a.m. High near 22 degrees with east-southeast wind 10 to 13 mph, gusting to as high as 20 mph. 50% chance of snow at night with a low around 12 degrees.
Saturday (Nov. 25): 20% chance of snow before 11 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 27 degrees and low around 11 degrees.
Sunday (Nov. 26): Sunny, with a high near 36 degrees and low around 12 degrees.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Snow to impact Colorado Thanksgiving travel plans