Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for Foxfield, CO

DISCUSSION /Through Thursday/
Issued at 1218 PM MST Thu Mar 5 2026

The next 24 hours will bring a taste of typical Colorado spring weather as we transition from today's warm temperatures and clear skies to cold and snow on Friday. On satellite, we're beginning to see some striations of mid-level cumulus develop in the high country, with more expansive moisture and showers forming across the Western Slope. This will progress east through the afternoon, with snow showers initiating in our mountains early this evening and increasing through the overnight period when they'll expand into our foothills. By this evening, a cold front will drop into the plains, with temperatures steadily cooling to near freezing by sunrise, and bringing a gradual moistening of the lower levels. A few snow or rain/snow showers will be possible overnight for the urban corridor (mainly north of Denver) but almost all of the snow will hold off until after daybreak Friday.

Lee cyclogenesis will intensity Friday, although there's been a slight weakening trend in the intensity of the surface low in most model guidance over the past 12-24 hrs. The overall picture remains largely the same as yesterday, with robust north and north-northwest flow confining any upslope component to the Palmer Divide and southern foothills. Nonetheless, strong QG ascent and frontogenesis will ensure everyone participates in the party to some degree.

Friday morning will see the bulk of the impacts as steady snow develops across the I-25 corridor and becomes heavier in our mountains and foothills. Localized snowfall rates of 1-2"/hr can be expected under the heaviest showers/bands, most likely along and south of the I-70 mountain/foothills corridor, and across the Palmer Divide, but will otherwise be lower. Some minor snow accumulations do look to impact the Friday morning commute around the Denver metro area, but ambient and road temperatures will likely be rather marginal with wet bulb values hovering in the 31-34F range much of the time. Suspect that roadway accumulations for most of the urban locations will be largely contingent on snowfall intensity. As such, opting to refrain from any winter headlines for the metro itself as true accumulations are currently forecast to remain in the 1-3" range, however commuters should prepare for slick conditions in the morning regardless. A surge of stronger north winds will develop in the afternoon as the surface cyclone becomes better defined over NW Kansas, and this will steadily usher in drier low-level air, tapering off snowfall from north to south. Total snowfall of 6-14" is expected in our mountains and foothills (heaviest south of Rocky Mountain NP), with 3-8" for the Palmer Divide, and generally 1-3" elsewhere. Northern portions of the I-25 corridor will be less favored given the downslope flow off the Cheyenne Ridge, and will thus be closer to the lower end of that range. Similarly, accumulations should be comparatively limited in the plains where temperatures will hover in the mid to even upper 30's, despite a likely band of greater precipitation extending northeast from the Palmer Divide into Morgan/Washington/Logan Counties.

Milder and drier weather returns for Saturday, and the warming trend will continue through Monday as we transition to zonal flow aloft and a mostly subsident pattern. The high country will see a slight day-to-day increase in westerly winds as the jet slowly inches southward into early next week. More distinct troughing then looks to develop over the northern plains for the middle of the work week, which should further boost winds in our mountains and foothills.
Unfortunately, ensemble guidance continues to trend away from widespread precipitation potential for midweek. It's still non-zero, but a significant system that would serve to make a dent in our expanding drought doesn't appear to be in the books.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS through 18Z Friday/
Issued at 1059 AM MST Thu Mar 5 2026

Southerly winds will increase this afternoon with gusty south winds at APA. This is expected to produce a Denver cyclone. The stronger south winds are not expected to reach DEN, with southeast winds slowly backing to northeast 20-23Z. Though, a fair amount uncertainty remains with the wind forecast since the cyclone hasn't formed yet. A strong cold front will bring north winds 03-05Z with gusts to 40 knots as the front pushes through. North winds then continue overnight and through Friday.

Clouds will lower behind the front, dropping to 4000 to 7000 feet 05-07Z. Ceilings continue to fall overnight reaching 500 to 2000 feet around 09-12Z on Friday. Snow moves in a couple hours later, 11-14Z. This snow could be intense at times, 12-18Z, with visibility down to a half mile for a short time and ceilings at or below 500 feet at all terminals. Snow will decrease in intensity after 18-20Z and ceilings and visibility will increase as a result.

BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
Winter Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to midnight MST Friday night for COZ030-032-035>037.

Winter Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 8 PM MST Friday for COZ031.

Winter Storm Warning from midnight tonight to midnight MST Friday night for COZ033-034.

Red Flag Warning until 6 PM MST this evening for COZ241.

Winter Weather Advisory from 6 AM Friday to midnight MST Friday night for COZ041.