Marty Venticinque, Noon Meteorologist

Rest of Today:  More clouds than sun, breezy at times and warm with temperatures in the 60s to lower 70s for the plains, 40s and 50s for the mountains.  Occasional wind gusts to around 30 mph are possible over and near the mountains.

Tonight:  Partly cloudy and still breezy at times over and near the mountains.  Snow should develop over the Continental Divide late, but it will not reach our area tonight.  For much of the night temperatures will remain in the 40s (especially where there is some wind), but eventually most of us should dip into the 30s.

Extended:   A storm will bring colder air, rain, snow and maybe even some graupel/snow pellets and thunder to the area on Friday.  We don't anticipate much trouble with the morning commute, but by late morning and early afternoon we expect areas of rain and snow will be underway.   It is typical of March storms to produce bursts of heavier rain and snow over relatively small areas, similar to how thunderstorms work.  This storm looks the part so at times rain and/or snow could fall heavily for at least a short period, and you might even hear a little thunder.  If you end up under a stronger burst of snow the visibility could become quite low, and the snow may accumulate quickly.  Being that this storm isn't particularly cold, it has been warm recently, it's March and much of the snow will fall during the day there will be considerable melting.  It seems likely that lower elevations will end up with wet and or slushy roads more than snow packed ones.  At higher elevations though, it is more likely that bursts of heavier snow will overcome the warm roadways, whiten them up and lead to slick travel.  Accumulations of snow will probably vary with a storm like this, but it certainly seems possible that the mountain communities in the Pikes Peak Region and southwest of Pueblo could receive as much as 3" to 8" of wet snow through Friday evening.  Slightly lesser amounts of about 2" to 6" could fall over the Palmer Divide, with 1" to 4" more likely around Colorado Springs.  In Colorado Springs the heavier amounts or more likely north and west of downtown, and more of the snow will probably accumulate on cooler surfaces than on roadways.  In Pueblo we expect more rain than snow initially, but eventually some wet snow may fall, it just doesn't appear likely that it'll be cold enough to expect widespread snowy roadways.  If the snow continues to fall past sunset then it'll be more likely for roadways to become snow covered, and even if not the wet nature of the snow will leave some water around so that as the air cools some icy spots may develop Friday night.

Saturday looks cool but dry, then breezy and much warmer again on Sunday and Monday.  Another storm should arrive around the middle of next week with colder air and a chance for rain and wet snow around the area.