Colorado
Colorado weather: How cold will it get when arctic blast hits this weekend?
Colorado is set to see a freezing weekend as snow and a bitterly cold arctic blast of air moves into the state on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
Wednesday and Thursday will be the last semi-warm days before temperatures begin to drop, NWS forecasters said.
Snow arrives Friday
Light snowfall will begin in Colorado’s mountains at about 11 a.m. Friday, move into the Front Range and Denver area in the afternoon and reach the Eastern Plains in the evening, according to NWS forecasters.
How much will stick is still up in the air, but several inches of dry, fluffy snow is expected, especially near the foothills, NWS forecasters said in a Hazardous Weather Outlook.
Other weather services, like AccuWeather, are calling for 4 to 8 inches of snow in Denver and its surrounding suburbs from Friday into Saturday.
Colorado’s mountains, including peaks as high as Mount Elbert and mountain towns like Estes Park, are expected to get 3 to 6 inches of snow this weekend, according to AccuWeather. The Eastern Plains are forecast to get 2 to 4 inches.
Overnight Friday, temperatures across the state will dip into single digits, NWS forecasters said.
Chilling Saturday temps signal first subzero weather in Denver for the season
Once temperatures start to drop Friday, they won’t come back up until Tuesday.
Saturday will mark Denver’s first chance for subzero temperatures of the season, according to NWS forecasters. Though the snow will wrap up at about 11 a.m., temperature highs won’t rise above the teens in the metro area and could fall to around minus 2 degrees overnight.
The Eastern Plains will see similar overnight temperature lows of minus 2, but “blustery” wind conditions could make it feel even colder, NWS forecasters said.
In the mountains, snow will continue to fall throughout the day and overnight Saturday, forecasters said. Temperatures will drop to minus 6 overnight before any windchill.
Northern Colorado, including Walden and Kremmling, will see temperatures as low as 13 degrees below zero overnight Saturday, according to NWS forecasters.
Snow, negative temps return Sunday
Snow will return to the Front Range and Eastern Plains on Sunday, but little to no new accumulation is expected, NWS forecasters said.
Most of the state will see temperature highs between 10 and 12 degrees on Sunday before dropping back into or near the negatives, forecasters said.
Denver will see a high of 11 degrees and overnight temperatures as low as minus 5 degrees, according to NWS forecasters. The Eastern Plains could be as cold as minus 10 degrees Sunday night and the mountains will see low temperatures between minus 1 and minus 8.
The cold could feel even worse with wind chill, forecasters said.
The western slope, including Delta and Cedaredge, will barely escape the weekend without temperatures going below zero. The area is forecast to scrape by with overnight lows near 1 degree.
Monday to be the coldest day of the weekend’s winter weather
The coldest day of the arctic blast will be Monday, where “highs may struggle to get much above zero,” NWS forecasters said.
“Low temperatures could reach minus 10 to minus 20 across the I-25 corridor and Eastern Plains with the lowest temperatures occurring Monday night,” forecasters said in a Hazardous Weather Outlook. “With breezy conditions, wind chill values may reach minus 30.”
Northern Colorado will be the coldest part of the state Monday. In Walden, temperatures will hover around 3 degrees during the day and drop to 25 degrees below zero overnight, forecasters said.
It won’t be quite as cold in the Denver area, but forecasters said the city will see temperature highs near 7 degrees and overnight lows of minus 12. Temperatures in the Eastern Plains and mountains could drop even lower, with overnight temperatures of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
Temps begin to warm up Tuesday
Temperature highs will escape the teen and single-digit cage on Tuesday, warming up to 33 degrees in Denver and the mid-20s across the mountains and Eastern Plains.
Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.
Originally Published:
POCATELLO, Idaho — Brock Wisne had 17 points in Northern Colorado’s 69-61 victory over Idaho State on Saturday.
Wisne also contributed eight rebounds for the Bears (15-10, 5-7 Big Sky Conference). Ring Nyeri scored 16 points while going 5 of 8 and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line and added five rebounds. Quinn Denker had 14 points and shot 6 for 16.
The Bengals (10-15, 3-9) were led in scoring by Caleb Van De Griend, who finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Evan Otten added 11 points for Idaho State. Connor Hollenbeck finished with nine points and four steals. The Bengals extended their losing streak to seven in a row.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
In the new age of college football it has become very clear how important defense is and how it changes games. Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders knows this from his time as a coach but also as a player when he was a lockdown corner in the NFL.
There is one stat that was clear and had success among several playoff teams and their defenses that defensive coordinator Robert Livingston may want to replicate in 2026.
The Importance of Third Down
In many ways entire games can come down to one play and who executes better on that play. Many teams can outplay their opponents for large portions of games, but if they fail to succeed on third down all that work can go to waste.
As a defense, it is very difficult to get off the field by forcing turnovers every drive, and in reality it is unrealistic to expect that. The next best thing is winning on third down to force a punt. All this means is putting three great defensive plays together to get a stop.
MORE: Breaking Down Colorado’s Updated Running Back Room
MORE: Projected Offensive Depth Chart for the Colorado Buffaloes Next Season
MORE: Deion Sanders Gives Blunt Response to Shedeur Sanders Pro Bowl Controversy
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE
2025 Playoff Teams Success on Third Down
One of the most important statistics in college football is opponent success rate on third down and many teams that qualified for the College Football Playoff in the 2025-2026 season exemplified that.
There were seven teams that made the Playoff which ranked in the top 11 of opponent third down conversion percentage. These teams were Texas A&M, Oklahoma, James Madison, Texas Tech, Indiana, Ohio State, and Miami.
All of these teams held their opponents to a conversion rate of 31.28 percent or less on third down. The two teams that played in the national championship were in this group.
The national champion Indiana Hoosier held their opponents to a 30.10 rate which ranks eighth in the country. The Miami Hurricanes held their opponents to a rate of 31.28 which put them at 11th in the country.
Having an elite third down defense definitely has its benefits and can lead to success at the top levels of college football.
Colorado’s 2025 Defense
During the 2025 campaign, the Buffaloes ranked 34th in the country in third down conversion rate allowed at 35.22 percent. This was with a defense that was near the bottom of the country in rushing defense allowing 222.5 rush yards per game which was 135th in the country
The pass defense for Colorado was much better as it ranked 41st in the nation in passing defense, allowing 203.2 pass yards per game. This was their strength in 2025, but due to how vulnerable the rush defense was at times the distance on third down was short enough to run it.
2026 Projection
The Buffaloes have looked at their weaknesses on defense, and as a result brought in players to fix them especially on the defensive front and in the linebacker corp. After these additions, the defense has enhanced its ability to create negative plays for offenses and allow the secondary to make plays on the ball in third down situations.
With the defensive front expected to improve, as well as adding depth and experienced players all over the defense, this could be a year where Colorado takes a step up to become one of the more elite third down defenses.
Stopping the run is one of the most important things when leading up to third down as well as on third down. If this issue truly has been addressed, the Buffaloes could land themselves into the top 30 in this stat and make a real push for the College Football Playoff.
49ers stars praise San Francisco as Bay Area hosts Super Bowl: ‘So much to offer’
SCOOP: Thousands of violent illegal immigrants arrested in Minnesota as admin vows ‘we will not back down’
Savannah Guthrie’s mother Nancy possibly abducted from her home, authorities say
Over 5,000 cold-stunned iguanas removed in two days during state’s record freeze
Detroit Pistons players, front office confident as trade deadline passes
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
West Virginia worked with ICE — 650 arrests later, officials say Minnesota-style ‘chaos’ is a choice
Week in Pictures: From Israeli air raids on Lebanon to bombing in Pakistan
Immigrant whose skull was broken in 8 places during ICE arrest says beating was unprovoked
Video: Why ICE Raids in Minneapolis Are Driving Up Demand for Guns
Calm amid chaos: Noem defies calls to resign, touts border victory as shutdowns, storms, and riots swirl
-
Indiana7 days ago13-year-old rider dies following incident at northwest Indiana BMX park
-
Massachusetts1 week agoTV star fisherman, crew all presumed dead after boat sinks off Massachusetts coast
-
Tennessee1 week agoUPDATE: Ohio woman charged in shooting death of West TN deputy
-
Indiana6 days ago13-year-old boy dies in BMX accident, officials, Steel Wheels BMX says
-
Politics5 days agoTrump unveils new rendering of sprawling White House ballroom project
-
Politics1 week agoDon Lemon could face up to a year in prison if convicted on criminal charges
-
Austin, TX1 week ago
TEA is on board with almost all of Austin ISD’s turnaround plans
-
Texas1 week agoLive results: Texas state Senate runoff
