Denver could get a foot or more of snow from late season storm

The official start of spring is just a week away but Denver is about to find itself knee-deep in winter as a major snow storm sweeps down out of the Rocky Mountains to bury parts of Colorado and Wyoming and ground air traffic throughout the region.

While it’s not uncommon for Denver to see a lot of snow in March, this will be the biggest late-season storm for the region since 2016, said Zach Hiris, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Boulder, Colorado. Denver could get 14 to 20 inches (36 to 51 centimeters) of snow, while to the north in Fort Collins and Cheyenne, Wyoming, snow could fall by the foot starting Saturday.

“March is one of our snowiest months,” Hiris said.

Winter-storm warnings cover much of eastern Wyoming and central Colorado, and winter-storm watches extend into Nebraska and South Dakota. Through Sunday, 721 flights into and out of Denver International Airport (DEN) have been canceled, according to airline tracking service Flight Aware.

Hiris said snow should start in Denver early Saturday and turn heavier in the afternoon and stay that way through Sunday. There is a chance that some dry air could sweep into the area keeping snow totals down.