Get ready for a blast of winter that’ll send shivers down your spine! This weekend, Denver and the eastern plains are preparing for their first taste of subzero temperatures this season, courtesy of a potent shot of arctic air plunging southward from Wyoming.
Say goodbye to the mild Winter of 2023-24. A high-pressure ridge forming over Alaska, combined with another pressure dome over the North Atlantic, are acting like weather architects, funneling frigid air from the Arctic all the way down to Colorado and beyond.
Arctic air likely arrives this weekend
Animation shows arctic air plunging southward into the Northern and Central High Plains later this week and coming weekend.
First mild taste arrives Thursday, then much colder by Saturday or Sunday. Stay tuned for updates. #COwx pic.twitter.com/Y4lWEehtgn
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) January 9, 2024
But buckle up, the cold wave doesn’t start Saturday morning. Buckle up, because the party begins earlier! A winter storm rolling in Thursday night will significantly drop temperatures in the high country, with forecasts predicting lows dipping between -33 to 5 degrees.
Friday night, the Arctic air finally blankets the Front Range and I-25 corridor, including the northeastern and eastern plains. Brace yourself for Saturday morning lows between -2 and 4 north of U.S. Highway 24 and east of I-25, with highs barely reaching 20 degrees in some areas. Brrr!
And if you thought that was chilly, prepare for another round of plummeting temperatures! Saturday night into Sunday morning brings even colder lows, potentially reaching -5 degrees. Highs? Don’t get your hopes up, they’ll likely stay below 20 again.
So, what’s behind this icy invasion? The culprit is the polar vortex, a low-pressure system that usually chills out in the high Arctic. When it weakens, chunks of frigid air escape and head south, potentially bringing arctic chills as far south as Florida, according to NOAA.
