If you have been following on Twitter, you will have seen some mentions over the last days of big changes on the way for Denver's weather. Highs this afternoon are in the low to mid 70s around the region - by Friday we could be struggling to break 40 degrees for highs.

The week is set to begin quite tranquil, with 70s in the forecast through Tuesday. By Wednesday, a weak cold front will move through the region dropping temperatures just a few degrees before the much colder air sets in Thursday night and Friday.

Chance of snow in Denver
The big question is if, when, and how much snow we will see in Denver with this system. As the National Weather Service pointed out in this afternoon's discussion, some models have been hinting at a pretty substantial snowfall for the region Thursday night and Friday - but uncertainty remains as models continue to waver as to how much snow will fall.

Still plenty of time for things to change, but this system (at this point) certainly bears watching. So enjoy the remainder of this picture-perfect weekend, and stay tuned as we head into what could be a very busy work week!

One forecast model showing very cold temperatures across Colorado Friday night.

Strong winds wreaked havoc in Denver last night, with Xcel Energy reporting that as many as 40,000 customers saw at least temporary power outages from the storm. Most customers have since seen their power restored, but the cleanup of downed trees and other debris continues Wednesday night.

According to the National Weather Service, the strongest wind gust was recorded at Loveland pass at 89 miles an hour last night, with gusts in the 60s in the Denver area. While Thursday is forecast to be breezy, winds should not be as strong as they were during the day Wednesday.

Warm temperatures return Friday, with highs in the 70s through the weekend.

Photos were taken by friend of the blog Marian Brezina, in central Denver.

A very energetic pacific low pressure system will push its way across Southern California later tonight before moving through western Colorado overnight Friday. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for much of western Colorado, with 4 - 8 inches expect for many mountain locations above 8,000 feet by Saturday afternoon. With some time yet before the system begins impacting the state, it is quite possible these numbers could be upped, especially for snow-favored locals.

This is welcome news for Colorado ski resorts looking to start the season a bit (or quite a bit) stronger than last year. Resorts from Telluride, to Steamboat could see several inches of snow by Saturday evening.

The other part of this system will be the severe weather threat Friday afternoon and Saturday. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued a slight risk for severe weather across portions of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas Friday, with a much larger threat progged for the upper midwest Saturday. There has been a lot of excitement with this system in the chaser community, but please use caution and tune to the local NWS and media for the latest as these storms begin to fire. Below are the current risk forecast for severe weather this weekend from the SPC (Friday left, Saturday right):

Last week the first snowfall forecast contest came to a close, with a whopping 0.4 inches of snow recorded on Friday, October 5 at Denver International Airport. Congratulations to the three winning constants!

• First Place: Baily Batchelor! Winning two lift tickets to Winter Park Resort
• Second Place: Abby Lauver
• Third Place: Julie Edwards

Each of the winning contestants guessed the same day (October 5) and the same amount of snow (0.5"), so the tie breaker ended up being the time of submittal. There were seven other contestants that had the correct day, but either were not close enough with their inches tie breaker, or submitted after the winning contestants.

Brendan's Weather plan to hold more contests in the coming months, so stay tuned! Please subscribe to the blog, and find us on Twitter and Facebook as well.