The hundreds of thousands of Coloradans expected to travel for Thanksgiving this year can expect dry weather and clear skies — at least on their way out, according to the National Weather Service.
No snow is forecast for the Denver area leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, and limited amounts are expected in higher elevations, including on mountain passes, according to weather service forecasters.
Colorado’s highest peaks, including Mount Zirkel in the Park Range of the Rocky Mountains, will see between zero and 8 inches of snow by 5 a.m. Thursday. The most likely snowfall on that mountain is closer to 1 inch, forecasters said.
As of Monday morning, according to the weather service, other snow totals expected by Thursday morning included:
- Trace amounts on Loveland Pass and at Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park;
- 0.5 inches on U.S. 40’s Berthoud Pass west of Denver, on Milner Pass in Rocky Mountain National Park and at Winter Park;
- And 1 inch on U.S. 40’s Muddy Pass near Steamboat Springs, Colorado 14’s Cameron Pass near Walden and U.S. 40’s Rabbit Ears Pass near Kremmling.
Most of that snow is expected to fall Monday night into Tuesday morning, and will likely be gone before most travelers hit the roads, rails or air, according to weather service forecasters.
Higher elevations, including Cameron Pass and Rabbit Ears Pass, also have a 20% chance of snow showers before 11 a.m. Wednesday, forecasters said.
Chances for snow will return across Colorado following Thanksgiving Day, and winter weather could intercept many travelers on their way home, according to the weather service.
The amount of snow expected to fall was still up in the air Monday morning, but hourly forecasts from the weather service showed a 40% chance of Denver seeing its first snow of the season over the post-holiday weekend.
At that time, the strongest chance for snow in the Denver area fell between 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday, but snow showers could start as early as 11 p.m. Friday and continue into Sunday night, forecasters said.
Multiple inches of snow are expected to fall on Colorado’s mountain passes starting at about noon on Friday, according to the weather service.
As of Monday morning, the strongest possibility of snow on most of the state’s mountain passes — moving from a 30% to 40% “chance” to “likely” odds of 60% to 80% — was expected to start at 11 a.m. Saturday and continue through Sunday, forecasters said.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 30, will likely be the single busiest day at the Denver airport for holiday travel, with more than 96,000 people expected to pass through security, airport officials said.
A record number of travelers are expected to take trains to travel this year, and millions across the country will hop in the car for a time-honored road trip, according to Amtrak and AAA officials.
It’s unknown how the snow forecast over the weekend will impact trains and planes, but both can be delayed or canceled for extreme winter weather.
Drivers can monitor road conditions — including weather, crashes and closures — online at cotrip.org.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.
