New forecast shows an “incredible” 27 inches of snow is possible in Colorado's metropolitan area

The National Weather Service has released its updated map for a sustained storm in Colorado, which includes hard-to-believe snowfall forecasts for some parts of the state.

For reference, the National Weather Service releases three maps for three different potential snowfall scenarios – “expected” snowfall with an 80% chance of occurring, as well as a “high-end” snowfall map and a “low-end” snowfall map , each with a 10% chance. This report from OutThere Colorado takes a look at all three, with the time period in which this snowfall will occur ranging from 5 p.m. Thursday to 5 p.m. Saturday

Even though the “high-end” snowfall forecast is absolutely crazy, let’s first take a look at the “expected” snowfall forecast.

In this “most likely” scenario, Denver will see 8 to 12 inches of snow between Thursday evening and Saturday evening, Colorado Springs will see 6 to 8 inches, and Castle Rock will see 12 to 18 inches. Totals will get even lower further south, with Trinidad having the potential to reach between 24 and 30 inches in the city itself, with up to 36 inches possible on peaks in this area.

This amount of snow, most of which is expected to fall between Thursday night and throughout the day Friday, will certainly have a significant impact on travel in the state. I-25 will likely face numerous safety closures – at least between Pueblo and Trinidad and perhaps even between Castle Rock and Colorado Springs – as will I-70 – and there will be an I-70 closure east of Denver and possibly west of the urban area.

That being said, the high end forecast suggests that snowfall potential seems almost unlikely, especially considering where it will fall and that it is still early November.

In this high-end forecast (see map at top of this article), there could be up to 24 inches of snow on portions of I-25 between Castle Rock and Colorado Springs, with the potential for 30 on portions of I-25 between Pueblo and Trinidad Customs service. Meanwhile, I-70 east of Denver has 24 inches of snow, and Denver itself has 12 inches of snow. The town of Castle Rock got 17 inches of snow, Colorado Springs got 11 inches and Trinidad got 27 inches of snow, with the area just outside of town getting up to 48 inches of snow.

There is now also the “low-end” forecast, which still calls for overall figures that will certainly have an impact on travel. While the forecast below puts snow totals at about 6 inches in Denver and Castle Rock and about 4 inches in Colorado Springs, snow totals in southern Colorado are still in the double digits, with Walsenburg and Trinidad expecting 15 inches of snow. I'm looking at 16 Inch.

Regardless of how this storm strikes, travel across much of Colorado's I-25 corridor will not be particularly pleasant Thursday evening through Saturday. The National Weather Service warns of “very difficult to impossible” travel. Make sure your vehicle is packed with these 22 survival essentials just in case you do hit the road.

Here is a detailed breakdown of expected snow amounts per city.

For additional warnings and updates related to this forecast, visit the National Weather Service website.