DENVER (CBS4) - A storm that hit Colorado on Wednesday will send a powerful afternoon cold front across the Front Range. The temperature will drop sharply and the snow will spread across the urban corridor before dusk arrives.

The Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins areas will climb to about 40 degrees in the early afternoon and drop about 30 degrees in 6 hours or less as cold air strikes. Temperatures in the Denver metro area will be in the single digits by the end of the evening commute.


In terms of snowfall, the initial snow shower should occur after 1 p.m. And by the time of sunset the snow should have spread over most of the Front Range. The heaviest snowfall will occur in the evening and will generally be located in the north of the immediate metro area.

The highest snowfall outside the High Country will be near the Wyoming and Nebraska state lines. Because of this, there is a winter weather advisory from 3 pm onwards. Fort Collins East to Sterling, Julesburg, Holyoke and Ray on Thursdays through Wednesdays at 3 p.m. Up to 5 inches of snow can be seen in these places with gusts of wind up to 35 mph.


Closer to Denver, there are no advisories but because most neighborhoods will get no more than 1-2 inches of snow but some spots could get up to 3 inches mainly north of I-70.

There will be even more snow for the foothills of Boulder and Larimer counties (elevations between 6,000 and 9,000 feet), which include cities such as Netherland, Ward and Estes Park. There is a possibility of snowfall of up to one foot in these areas till Thursday morning.

Most ski areas in the mountains will receive 8 to 16 inches of total snow. There is a winter storm warning till 12 noon. Thursday for the entire I-70 Mountain Corridor from Georgetown to Glenwood Springs.


Higher snowfall is also possible in the northern mountains, including Rocky Mountain National Park, Steamboat Springs, and Rabbit Ears Pass.

As soon as the snow ends in the metro area in the early hours of Thursday, the focus will be on the bitter cold. The morning temperature in the metro area will remain in single digits and the afternoon temperature will be below freezing.

There is also a Wind Chilly Advisory for most parts of the Eastern Plains on Thursday morning. In some areas, chilly winds can drop to -25 degrees Celsius, which is dangerously cold.