It’s going to be a cold, wet weekend in Colorado as rain showers and thunderstorms move in on the metro area and the mountains prepare for snow, according to the National Weather Service. Friday will be the last day of above-normal temperatures and dry conditions before thunderstorms and snowy weather hit Colorado on Saturday,

Colorado’s first fall weekend could be cool, soggy and snowy in some areas. A low-pressure storm system packing moisture from the Gulf of California is developing over the Southwest desert and tracking toward the state, said David Barjenbruch, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Boulder.

A strong upper level trough will arrive early Saturday morning bringing significantly cooler air and accumulating snow, at least across portions of the high country.

Golden fall color could be accented by the arrival of high elevation snow in northern and central mountain areas this weekend.  According to National Weather Service meteorologist Russell Danielson a “pretty strong storm” is

We mentioned the possibility of a significant pattern change [ in our last couple of posts – those chances look to be solidifying a bit more as modeling continues to show widespread rain and snow chances from the mountains to the plains.

The weather in Colorado will either be very exciting for some people or very disappointing for others this weekend. In the waning days of summer, snowfall is expected to hit parts of Colorado.