It’s looking like some significant snow might finally be set to hit a large portion of the Front Range, including parts of the I-25 corridor.

With snow set to start in the mountains on Wednesday evening before what could be a full day of snow on Thursday and some continued flurries on Friday, some parts of Colorado could see accumulation in the range of 12 to 18 inches through Saturday morning.

Per usual, the National Weather Service has published multiple snowfall forecast scenarios, including the ‘expected’ forecast (80% chance) and the ‘high-end’ forecast (10% chance). Both show that this snowstorm should be relatively widespread, though deeper totals hit a much larger swath of Colorado if the latter situation comes to fruition.

That said, let’s start with the more likely ‘expected’ scenario –

In the ‘expected’ snowfall scenario, most peaks around the state get snow in the range of eight to 12 inches through Friday morning, with peaks of the Park Range (near Steamboat), Pikes Peak, and some higher points in the southwest seeing the possibility of 12 to 18 inches. Meanwhile, the rest of the state should get at least some snow, with notable forecasts including six to 12 inches expected in some Colorado mountain towns and six to 12 inches that’s expected along the I-25 corridor between Denver and Colorado Springs.

See this ‘expected’ scenario depicted on the map below and keep scrolling for the ‘high-end’ scenario that’s calling for much deeper and more impactful totals:

With the more likely ‘expected’ scenario addressed, let’s move onto the high-end scenario, which would bring enough snow to the Front Range that travel could become difficult.

In this scenario (10% chance), many more peaks around the state get snow in the range of 12 to 18 inches through Saturday morning, as well as parts of I-70. With most of this snow expected on Thursday, travel in the mountains will likely get dicey and delays can be expected. Likely to impact more Coloradans, however, would be what happens on the Front Range if this forecast holds true.

The ‘high-end’ scenario means that between 12 and 18 inches of snow could fall along I-25 south of Denver, with the Mile High City having potential for up to nine inches of snow. Meanwhile, Castle Rock could get up to 13 inches, Colorado Springs and Boulder could get eight, and Pueblo could get six. There’s a chance this snow could impact Thursday and Friday commutes in most population centers along the Front Range.

See this ‘high-end’ snowfall forecast depicted on the map below:

As far as the state’s resorts go, OpenSnow is calling for Powderhorn to get the most fresh powder over the next five days – about 12 inches. See their full resort-by-resort breakdown here.

After a bit of snow earlier this week, Colorado’s statewide snowpack sits at about 63 percent of the long-term norm for January 7. Colorado remains close to all-time lows in terms of snowpack, ahead of only two years since records started in 1987: 2000 and 2018.

Find additional forecasting information on the National Weather Service website.

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