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Below zero temps coming to Colorado for MLK Jr. weekend

By January 9, 2024 | updated 2 years ago

High temperatures barely reach the middle teens

Arctic cold is looking more likely than not by the weekend for places along Colorado's Front Range. Low temps may drop below zero by Saturday night and Sunday night, and high temperatures are likely to be in the teens. (National Weather Service, Boulder)

Denver and the eastern plains could experience its first below zero low temperatures of the season this weekend.

A shot of arctic air will work its way southward from Wyoming into Colorado Friday night into Saturday morning, with lows bottoming out below zero. The resulting colder temperatures are biproducts of an extension arm of the polar vortex being pushed into North America from the North Pole region.

Arctic cold is looking more likely than not by the weekend for places along Colorado's Front Range. Low temps may drop below zero by Saturday night and Sunday night, and high temperatures are likely to be in the teens. (National Weather Service, Boulder)
Arctic cold is looking more likely than not by the weekend for places along Colorado’s Front Range. Low temps may drop below zero by Saturday night and Sunday night, and high temperatures are likely to be in the teens. (National Weather Service, Boulder)

Winter 2023-24 has been mostly mild and seasonal, but that is about to change as a high pressure ridge developing over Alaska adds one weather ingredient to the two-ingredient recipe funneling the Arctic air into large sections of the continental U.S., including Colorado. The second ingredient is a second high pressure dome over the North Atlantic, which pinches the cold air into North America.

The cold temperatures don’t start for Colorado on Saturday morning however. A winter storm blowing in Thursday night into Friday morning will drop temperatures in Colorado’s high country significantly, with forecasted lows from the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) high resolution model showing lows between -33 to 5 degrees.

Colorado is forecast to see below zero low temperatures overnight Wednesday into Thursday as winter storm pushes across Colorado's high country Wednesday and Thursday. Lows are forecast to bottom out between 5 and -33 degrees in the mountains of Colorado. (Weather.us)
Colorado is forecast to see below zero low temperatures overnight Wednesday into Thursday as winter storm pushes across Colorado’s high country Wednesday and Thursday. Lows are forecast to bottom out between 5 and -33 degrees in the mountains of Colorado. (Weather.us)

The Front Range and Interstate 25 corridor, including the northeastern and central eastern plains, receive the Arctic air Friday night. Saturday morning lows for areas north of U.S. Highway 24 and east of I-25 are forecast to be between -2 and 4 before sunrise, with highs barely reaching 20 in some areas.

Colorado is forecast to see below zero low temperatures overnight Friday into Saturday as an arctic air mass moves southeast from Canada into the lower 48 states of the United States. Lows are forecast to bottom out between 4 and -2 degrees from Laramie, Wyoming to Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Weather.us)
Colorado is forecast to see below zero low temperatures overnight Friday into Saturday as an arctic air mass moves southeast from Canada into the lower 48 states of the United States. Lows are forecast to bottom out between 4 and -2 degrees from Laramie, Wyoming to Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Weather.us)

On Saturday night into Sunday morning, the low temperatures will plummet again, with lows dipping potentially lower for Sunday morning. The ECMWF high resolution model forecasts lows to be between -5 and 2 degrees, with highs again staying below 20 for the area.

Colorado is forecast to see below zero low temperatures overnight Saturday into Sunday as an arctic air mass moves southeast from Canada into the lower 48 states of the United States. Lows are forecast to bottom out between 2 and -5 degrees from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Walsenburg, Colorado. (Weather.us)
Colorado is forecast to see below zero low temperatures overnight Saturday into Sunday as an arctic air mass moves southeast from Canada into the lower 48 states of the United States. Lows are forecast to bottom out between 2 and -5 degrees from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Walsenburg, Colorado. (Weather.us)

What is the polar vortex?

The polar vortex or arctic polar vortex as defined by NOAA is a strong band of winds in the stratosphere, surrounding the North Pole 10-30 miles above the Earth’s surface.

The polar vortex is an area of low pressure — a wide expanse of swirling cold air — that is parked in polar regions. During winter, the polar vortex at the North Pole expands, sending cold air southward. This happens fairly often and can be associated with outbreaks of cold temperatures in the United States. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
The polar vortex is an area of low pressure — a wide expanse of swirling cold air — that is parked in polar regions. During winter, the polar vortex at the North Pole expands, sending cold air southward. This happens fairly often and can be associated with outbreaks of cold temperatures in the United States. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

The polar vortex causes extremely cold temperatures in the continental U.S. when the low-pressure system weakens and travels from its usual position in the high Arctic. As the system weakens, some of the cold, arctic air breaks off and migrates south, bringing ample cold air with it. Areas as far south as Florida may experience arctic weather as a result, according to NOAA.

Forecast low temperatures:

  • Thursday: 7
  • Friday: 13
  • Saturday: 2
  • Sunday: -3

Denver has a chance for snow Wednesday night into Thursday and Friday through Monday to accompany the arctic air.

Jonathan Ingraham

Reporter

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