As obscure as it may be, Fort Collins is forecast to snap its 260-day streak of no days with 1 inch or more snowfall.
Fort Collins and the Front Range urban corridor from the Wyoming state line to south of Castle Rock will be under a winter weather advisory from 6 p.m. Monday to 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm system will also bring the area by far the coldest temperatures of this early mild winter.
This isn’t a major snowstorm, but there will be just enough snow and cold to create tricky travel conditions for the Tuesday morning commute, especially along Interstate 25. Poudre School District students are set to return to school from winter break Tuesday.
How much snow is Fort Collins expecting, and how cold is it going to get?
After a second straight year of a snowless December, the city is expected to receive 3 to 4 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.
If that happens, the city will double its snowfall this fall and winter. The city has received just 1.7 inches of snow this season at the official weather station on the main Colorado State University campus.
Here’s the forecast:
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Monday: 20% chance of snow after 11 a.m., increasing to an 80% chance at night. High of 35 degrees and low around 17.
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Tuesday: 40% chance of snow before 11 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 26 and low around 1 with a wind chill of minus 6. That compares to a low this season of 10 degrees on Jan. 1.
Forecast snowfall totals around Colorado
According to the National Weather Service:
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Red Feather Lakes: 3 inches
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Denver International Airport: 4-6 inches
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado storm will bring enough snow, cold to make I-25 travel tricky