Following record highs, Denver may see snow as early April weather shifts. The 9NEWS Weather Impact Team monitors possible storms ahead of Rockies’ home opener.

DENVER — Denver residents may want to keep their snow shovels handy despite an unseasonably warm stretch, as the 9NEWS Weather Impact Team is tracking the potential for a weather pattern change that could bring snow to Colorado in early April.

After several record-breaking high temperatures in Denver this week, a notable pattern flip is expected to develop in the middle to latter part of next week, bringing cooler air and widespread precipitation to the region.

9NEWS Weather Impact Team meteorologist Chris Bianchi said the weather shift is expected to unfold in two stages. An initial storm system arriving Tuesday or Wednesday of next week will bring Colorado mountain snow — welcome news for the struggling snowpack — though that early system is expected to be relatively minor.

The more significant weather event is forecast for late next week, roughly April 2 through April 5 or 6.

“Models are indicating the potential here for a pretty good hit of cooler air as well as widespread precipitation, including in the mountains, probably a heavier bout of snow, and in the Denver area,” Bianchi said. “Quite a few models are showing at least some snow for us here in the metro area.”

However, Bianchi urges caution about the long-range outlook, warning that models have been poor in the 7-to-10-day window.


Early Rockies’ home opener weather forecast

One event worth watching closely is the Colorado Rockies’ home opener on Friday, April 3.

Current modeling suggests the most active weather would arrive over the weekend of April 4 and 5, but Bianchi said the timing could be tricky, with two storm systems potentially bookending the event.

“It looks active,” Bianchi said. “We’ve got two distinct storms — one Tuesday and Wednesday, and another somewhere in that Friday through Sunday window,” Bianchi said that the second storm is the bigger concern.

“It’s probably going to be stronger and higher impact for us in the lower elevations,” he said, adding that some weather models do bring snow just in time for the Rockies’ home opening weekend.

The more optimistic scenario has Denver sitting between the two systems, leaving conditions merely breezy with temperatures in the 50s or 60s. “My honest lean would be that it stays dry right now, but it’s close,” Bianchi said.

Fans hoping for clarity won’t have long to wait. Bianchi said the 9NEWS Weather Impact Team should have a much clearer picture by this weekend, once the event falls within the reliable five-to-six-day forecast window.


Denver Forecast

FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy and cooler. High 53, low 35.SATURDAY: Partly sunny and warmer. High 79, low 47.SUNDAY: Partly sunny and warm. High 80, low 49.MONDAY: Partly sunny and mild. High 78, low 48.TUESDAY: Mild and breezy, chance for isolated showers. High 72, low 47.WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy, cooler, chance for showers. High 56, low 37.THURSDAY: Warmer and mostly sunny. High 73, low 43.Â