Southern Colorado is in a calm stretch of weather on Thursday, but forecasters at KOAA News5 say a significant pattern change is coming that will bring moisture, cooler temperatures and mountain snow over the weekend and into next week.
A dry westerly flow is keeping conditions quiet overnight into Thursday. There is a low to medium chance of locally dense fog on the eastern plains late tonight into early Thursday morning. Isolated showers or a stray storm are possible near the far southeast border by Thursday afternoon. Overnight lows should fall into the 20s in the high mountain valleys and into the 30s to lower 40s across the plains.
In Pueblo, Thursday is expected to bring another warm afternoon with a high near 65 degrees and a low of 39. Skies should be mostly clear to partly cloudy, and dry conditions are expected to hold through the end of the workweek.
Colorado Springs should see a high of 64 and a low of 38, with partly sunny skies, passing mid-to-high level clouds and light winds. Canon City is forecast to reach 68 with a low of 40 under partly cloudy skies, and a light breeze is expected to develop through the afternoon. Woodland Park will be cooler, with a high of 58, a low of 37, a mix of sun and clouds, and a cool breeze over the higher terrain.
The change begins Friday. A deepening Pacific trough will send a surge of moisture toward western Colorado, while a weak disturbance passing to the south brings a chance of showers over the far southeast plains and light showers in the mountains.
On Saturday, increasing southwest flow aloft will pull moist Pacific air across the region. Showers are expected to build through the day over the high mountains, while lower elevations stay mostly mild.
The more impactful part of the pattern arrives from Sunday through Tuesday, as an upper-level trough strengthens over the Four Corners. Heavy mountain snow and rain are expected to return to the Continental Divide and the San Luis Valley, where forecasters noted additional flooding potential. Snow is expected to increase on Monday, and a wintry mix or rain and snow showers could spread into the mountain valleys and adjacent plains as temperatures drop. Windy conditions are expected on the back side of the system.
Despite the flooding mention, the forecast says the flooding threat looks to be low with this system.
