Flights landing Saturday night at Denver International Airport unwittingly helped trigger the formation of ice crystals in a cloud layer just above the ground, producing a bit of snow — though it was mostly light and did not accumulate.

After a dry December, Denver is back on track for average snowfall totals thanks to a frigid and frosty January.

A warm, sunny Wednesday in the Denver area will make way for rain showers and snowstorms overnight, National Weather Service forecasters said. The winter storm, which is expected to hit southeastern Colorado the hardest on Thursday,