First of two snowmakers arriving in the state tonight.

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - The dry and sunny conditions we have experienced over the past week have changed today. For most of the Western Slope, we started the day with sunshine and clear skies before cloud cover began to move towards the afternoon hours and will continue to be persistent throughout the remainder of the day. The next major story that changes the dry conditions is the snow.

There are going to be two snowmakers that are going to arrive in the state, with one of them coming as early as tonight. Areas in the high country, higher elevations, the Front Range, and along the Continental Divide will receive a bulk of this snowmaker. Places like Aspen could receive nearly 5 inches of snow while others will sit around the 1-3 inch margin like Vail and Telluride. For our valleys, snowfall will be minimal, and areas like Grand Junction and Cortez have a great chance of receiving no accumulation. Montrose can receive some snowfall but stay under the inch margin. Aside from the night snowfall, temperatures will sit in the twenty-degree range across most of the Western Slope.

Tomorrow, any remaining snowfall should clear out throughout the morning hours, and cloud cover will start to become scattered across the Western Slope. Conditions will go back to becoming dry, and temperatures will remain in the 40-degree range.

Monday, cloud cover will start to move back in, leading to mostly cloudy skies across the Western Slope, and conditions will remain dry throughout most of the day. Temperatures will become warm, with Grand Junction and Montrose staying in the upper 40s. Our second snowmaker will start to creep into the state when the evening hours arrive. The Northern portion of the state, like Craig and Steamboat Springs, will be the first to receive snowfall, which will continue to become more widespread throughout the day.

By morning, snowfall will have arrived in areas in the high country, higher elevations, and our valleys. It will continue throughout most of the day, and as we approach our evening hours, most snowmakers will intensify, leading to higher snowfall rates and accumulation. As a result, snowfall totals will be greater, especially in areas that will receive the first snowfall tonight. The second snowmaker will reach around 6-10 inches in many locations in the high country and along the Continental Divide. In addition, Grand Junction and Montrose have a chance of receiving up to two inches of snowfall for our valleys. Aside from the snowfall, temperatures will also be the following story.

On Tuesday, temperatures will drop into the lower to mid-30s for many locations across the Western Slope. Areas in the San Juans will have a temperature around the 20-degree range. Temperatures will remain in the 30s by Wednesday before rising back to the 40s by Thursday and Saturday.

Meteorologist Chris Guevara

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