Beginning tonight, strong downsloping winds along the foothills and the I-25 corridor will gradually come to an end this evening, though damaging gusts of 60 to 80 mph, with isolated gusts near 90 mph, are still possible early o n. A cold front moving south across the plains this evening will shift winds to the northwest, bringing gusts of 50 to 60 mph, especially across the northern and northeastern plains before winds slowly ease after midnight. In the mountains, very strong winds will persist tonight through Thursday morning, with gusts frequently reaching 80 to 90 mph. While there may be brief lulls overnight, conditions will remain hazardous at higher elevations, with winds only slowly weakening by late Thursday morning or early afternoon. These strong winds will continue to impact exposed ridges and passes. Snowfall will continue in the mountains this afternoon and evening, with banded snow showers producing periods of heavy snow. Snowfall rates could briefly reach one to two inches per hour, leading to total accumulations of 3 to 8 inches, with locally higher amounts near ridgetops. Combined with strong winds, blowing snow and sharply reduced visibility will make travel treacherous, especially over mountain passes. On Thursday and Friday, cool temperatures and gusty winds will remain a concern across much of the region. The strongest winds Thursday morning are expected over the northeastern plains, where gusts of 55 to 65 mph are possible. Another round of strong winds is likely late Thursday into Friday, particularly in the mountains and foothills, with lower confidence in how far east the strongest winds will spread. These windy and dry conditions may bring periods of elevated to critical fire weather, mainly on Friday. Winds 100+ for Colorado Wednesday, much colder air for ThursdayLooking ahead to the weekend, mountain snowfall is expected to return late Friday into early Saturday as winds decrease and a weather system moves through. Snow chances linger into Saturday, with lighter and more limited chances on Sunday. A cold front will bring cooler temperatures to the plains Saturday, though highs will remain above normal. By early next week, quieter weather is expected with breezy conditions at times and warmer-than-average temperatures returning.DENVER WEATHER LINKS: Hourly forecast | Radars | Traffic | Weather Page | 24/7 Weather StreamClick here to watch the Denver7 live weather stream. ...read more read less