Satellite images show the heavy snow cover that has already accumulated in the mountains
Satellite images show the heavy snow cover that has already accumulated in the mountains
Colorado is bracing itself for the first serious snowstorm of the coming winter season - with as much as two feet of snow expected in some areas.

The National Weather Service issued storm warnings and advisories for most of the central and northern Colorado mountains starting on Sunday and lasting through Monday at midnight.

Satellite images show the heavy snow cover that has already accumulated in the mountains.

The most buildup expected in places with elevation above 10,000 feet.

The mountains along Interstate 70 are expected to get some of the heaviest snowfall - and are predicted to have between eight and 18 inches of accumulation.

Mountains south of the highway are expecting between five and 10.

The National Weather Service issued storm warnings and advisories for most of the central and northern Colorado mountains starting on Sunday and lasting through Monday at midnight
The National Weather Service issued storm warnings and advisories for most of the central and northern Colorado mountains starting on Sunday and lasting through Monday at midnight
Snowfall has started accumulating in the mountains - pictured is the snowfall at Grand Mesa Lodge off of Interstate 70 in north west Colorado
Snowfall has started accumulating in the mountains - pictured is the snowfall at Grand Mesa Lodge off of Interstate 70 in north west Colorado
Russell Danielson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Boulder told the Denver Post that snow started Sunday morning near the Wyoming state line in Jackson County.

He also explained that the snowfall could make travel hazardous in some areas - and the warned that heaviest bands could reduce visibility to near zero.

In Colorado snowfall is expected in places as low as 8,500 feet along the highway and as low as 7,000 feet where Colorado touches Wyoming.

The mountains along Interstate 70 are expected to get some of the heaviest snowfall
The mountains along Interstate 70 are expected to get some of the heaviest snowfall - and are predicted to have between eight and 18 inches of accumulation. The national weather service has said that it could impact travel and impair visibility in some areas
Pictured is the Breckenridge Ski resort in northwest Colorado near interstate 70
Pictured is the Breckenridge Ski resort in northwest Colorado near interstate 70
The most snowfall is expected in Jackson, Grand and Larimer Counties. Some areas are expected to get up to two feet.

Radars also show a possibility of severe thunderstorms in the northeastern plains, and potential hail up to one-inch in diameter, and wind gusts up to 60 mph.

'We are kind of in a wet pattern,' Danielson told the Post.

'So there won't be a whole lot of melting initially. Then, toward the middle to late next week, we could see some warmer and drier conditions.'

The rest of the west is expecting a windy, dry and mild week ahead.