Late Spring Snow For Central Rockies

It looks like a heavy, wet snow storm will impact parts of Utah and much of Colorado this weekend. Above I've shown the early WRF-NAM forecast from Atmo, on the 5.4 km grid, for total snow accumulation through midnight Sunday night. Amounts are very impressive, considering the date, and the model forecast extends the snow out onto the I-25 Front Range corridor. Late Spring storms like this are often quite severe, taking down power lines, closing highways, and impacting cattle and also orchards. The NWS Denver/Boulder Forecast Office is out well ahead of this event, as per their message this morning (Friday, May 9th):

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...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE
SUNDAY NIGHT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM
WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE
SUNDAY NIGHT.

* TIMING...SNOW IS EXPECTED TO FORM OVER THE MOUNTAINS SATURDAY
  NIGHT WITH RAIN AT LOWER ELEVATIONS. THE RAIN WILL CHANGE OVER
  TO SNOW SUNDAY ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO
  CONTINUE SUNDAY EVENING AND DECREASE SUNDAY NIGHT.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...4 TO 9 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR LOWER
  ELEVATIONS AND SOUTH PARK...WITH 9 TO 18 INCHES POSSIBLE FOR
  THE FOOTHILLS...AND 12 TO 24 INCHES POSSIBLE FOR THE MOUNTAINS.

* WIND/VISIBILITY...HEAVY SNOW COMBINED WITH NORTHEAST WINDS UP TO
  30 MPH MAY REDUCED VISIBILITY BELOW A QUARTER MILE AT TIMES.

* IMPACTS...IF TRAVELING SUNDAY OR SUNDAY NIGHT...EXPECT SLUSHY
  AND SNOW COVERED ROADS...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS AND
  FOOTHILLS. SOME ROADS IN THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS MAY CLOSE
  DUE TO HEAVY SNOW. THE HEAVY SNOW WILL ACCUMULATE ON BRANCHES
  AND POWERLINES POSSIBLY CAUSING SOME TO BREAK.