Forecast for the week: very warm before a storm system expected Sat night to Sun night

03/25/25 8:30am: Morning, lets take a look at the weather pattern for the rest of the week into next weekend. Overall themes: turning hot with a big ridge of high pressure from Wed-Fri. Some rain/snow moves back into the mountains and front-range (including Den/Bou) by Sat afternoon / evening...this is associated with a potentially stronger / colder storm system that will impact the state from from Sat night and through the day Sun (03/30), depending on the storm track, that storm could bring meaningful snow to both the mountains and front-range.

Nice today, but a little cooler with a short-wave passing north of Colorado (and slightly cooler air aloft over the fornt-range), so high temps in the upper 60s for Den/Bou. But then turning very warm across most of the state for Wed-Fri, with high temps approaching 80 in Denver by Thu (60s to near 70 in parts of the mountains). Wind will generally be light across much the state the next 3-4 days (some wind over the Front Range mountains today).

Then attention turns to the next storm system slated to impact the state from 6pm Sat through 6pm Sun. Of course rain and snow amounts will all depend on the track of the upper-level short-wave.

Upslope may develop on the front-range by Sat evening. Rain showers will be likely for Den/Bou after 4pm Sat into Sat night.

Rain/snow showers develop over the front-range mountains (and parts of the central mountains also after 4pm Sat).

For Den/Bou and the front-range models show a stronger cold-front moving down the front-range late Sat night into Sun morning with some northeast upslope developing along the front-range. So its possible that rain will change to all snow over Den/Bou and lower elevations by Sun am (after 5am Sun) with all snow from about 5am-5pm Sun, depending on storm track could be several inches of snow for Den/Bou (and even more in the foothills, possibly > 6" by Sun). Forecast details are uncertain.

For the north-central mountains some snow is possible as well mostly from 6pm Sat through 9pm Sun: 3-9" of snow possible by Sun pm. Right now looks like the setup is going to favor the northern Front Range mountains (Berthoud Pass, IPW, RMNP, Cameron Pass areas) but of course uncertainty is high.

Some snow likely for western / southwestern CO as well Sat into Sun, especially in the Elk Range (near Aspen/CB) and also western San Juans (Telluride to Silverton and maybe towards WC): 2-7" of new snow likely in spots by Sun pm, but uncertainty is high.

First image loop shows the evolution of the forecast pattern via forecast 700mb temps / wind: you can see the big ridge of high pressure (greens to yellows = warm air) and the colder troughs (blues to purples). Second image shows the upper-level low at 6am Sun from latest GFS. Third image shows forecast precip-type / precip-rate and mslp at 6am Sun from latest GFS, take with big grain of salt.