Clouds and cold temperature are here to finish the week and snow moves into the mountains today and the metro tonight.

A snowstorm is heading into Colorado with some areas expected to see between 10 inches and over a foot of snow.

Arctic cold pushes across the area late Thursday, sticks around through at least Saturday night. Areas of light snow, too. Prepare for the extended cold, including plans for livestock and pets. Dress in warm layers, hats, gloves, etc. #COwx pic.twitter.com/7dQ1YMNVk4

Winter has been hard to come by this year, but it arrives soon as the Denver weather forecast features dramatically colder weather for the next few days, with a return of light snow for the city as well.

An overnight snowstorm dropped 2 inches of snow on parts of the Denver area, and up to 8 inches in the mountains, according to reports from the National Weather Service.

Large, fluffy flakes can accumulate quickly in a short period of time, leading to sharp differences in snowfall over small distances.

Denver's forecast predicts a sunny day turning snowy in the evening with less than an inch of snow expected. Conditions will clear up after Monday, with midweek temperatures rising.

For at least 48 hours, Denver’s temperature will remain below freezing with snow picking up late Friday into Saturday AM. Here's how low temps will drop and possible snow totals through the weekend.

A weak easterly upslope flow will help produce widespread light snow, especially across the Denver metro area and nearby Front Range communities.