Up to 18 inches of snow expected to hit Colorado this week

Colorado's about to get hit with a late-winter wave of snow and some peaks may see up to 18 inches of accumulation.

In a storm that's expected to hit Wednesday through Thursday, the deepest totals are likely to fall in the area of Pikes Peak and in the mountains west of Monument. Up to a foot of snow may land on peaks seen to the west of the I-25 corridor from Trinidad to Fort Collins.

With about four to six inches expected in Colorado Springs and six to eight inches expected in Castle Rock, it's likely that Wednesday night and Thursday morning commutes in this part of the Front Range urban area will be impacted. Denver is expected to get two to three inches in the most likely scenario.

In most lower elevation places, rain is expected to fall first, turning into snow by Wednesday night.

See a mapping of this snow forecast below, created by the National Weather Service:

It's also worth taking a look at the high-end snow forecast. In this less likely scenario, much deeper totals fall in heavily populated areas, likely to result in significant travel impacts. See that map below:

This round of snowfall comes as Colorado will be about 23 days from the 20-year median snowpack peak, according to the USDA. Currently, Colorado is at 98 percent of the to-date median snowpack statewide and 81 percent of the median peak. This storm will bring Colorado closer to that median peak number, though more snow will still be needed if Colorado is going to reach that mark during the next few weeks.

While the next six to 10 days are expected to bring above average precipitation to the state, several weeks after that are expected to bring below-average precipitation, according to the National Weather Service.

Find the most up-to-date weather information on the National Weather Service website.

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