Winter weather is expected to continue through Saturday, April 5, ahead of a spell of more spring-like temperatures and sunshine, according to forecasters.

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for parts of Summit, Grand and Clear Creek counties warning of light snow showers Friday afternoon into Saturday morning. The Interstate 70 mountain corridor could see travel impacts from the snow.

The hazardous weather outlook also warns of a melt-freeze cycle that could begin over the weekend and continue into early next week, creating potentially icy conditions as warmer temperatures melt snow, refreezing it as the sun sets.

Skiers and snowboarders are likely to find fresh snow on Friday morning as well as Saturday throughout the Colorado Rocky Mountains, OpenSnow founding meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote in a blog post Thursday.

The snowstorm Friday will track to the south of Colorado, but will likely contain enough energy and moisture to deliver significant snow near and east of the Continental Divide, Gratz wrote. 

Current models show the highest snow totals, between 9 inches and a foot, over the northeastern mountains, such as Loveland Ski Area and Eldora Mountain Resort, and the southeastern mountains, including Wolf Creek and Cuchara ski areas, according to OpenSnow. Most other ski resorts could expect closer 2 to 5 inches.

“For powder, there might be some by Friday’s last chair, and more likely, the best powder will be on Saturday,” Gratz said.