Pikes Peak Region Trail Finder

Despite the ominous clouds circling Colorado Springs on Friday afternoon, it still looks like we're heading into a beautiful, if breezy, fall weekend in the Pikes Peak region. But beware if you're headed to the high country: forecasters say a blizzard is brewing.

Winds are expected to pick up Friday afternoon and into Saturday in the foothills and central to northern mountains, perhaps hitting gusts of 70 mph Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service​.

If you're headed up to ski or snowboard, give yourself extra time to deal with cold temperatures, high winds and icy roads - and the vagaries of other drivers.

A hazardous weather outlook has been issued for a huge swath of Colorado, including the Front Range and southern and central mountains.

The heaviest snowfall - 8 to 12 inches above 9,000 feet and up to 16 inches on the peaks - is expected in the Sawatch Range north of Monarch Pass. The eastern San Juan Mountains may see 5 to 9 inches of snow.

See a list of Opening Days for Colorado ski areas.

Meteorologist Joel Gratz predicts 4 to 6 inches of snow at Arapahoe Basin and Keystone ski areas, and 5 to 7 inches at Breckenridge, Loveland and Copper Mountain ski areas on Saturday and nearly the same for Sunday, with a few inches falling Saturday night. Gratz posted on his website, OpenSnow.com, that Sunday is shaping up to be a classic Powder Day.

Meanwhile, the high in Colorado Springs is expected to hit about 60 degrees on Saturday, cooling to the mid-50s on Sunday. The latest forecast calls for gusts in the Pikes Peak region, too, up to 50 mph.

You may hit the strongest winds of the weekend if you head toward Rocky Mountain National Park or Colorado-Wyoming border. But, is that really a surprise?