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2-4 inches of snow forecast for Durango

Cold temperatures to settle in for a while

Durango and La Plata County are in a winter storm watch for a cold front moving through Southwest and Central Colorado that may bring 2 to 4 inches of snowfall to the city by this evening.

Forecasters estimated that mountain passes might see as much as 18 inches of snow and high winds by Tuesday night, including Wolf Creek, Red Mountain, Molas and Coal Bank passes. Those areas could receive up to 36 inches of snowfall by this evening.

Travis Booth, a National Weather Service forecaster based in Grand Junction, said Tuesday evening that Durango will be in a winter weather advisory from 3 to 9 a.m. today. Tuesday night and this morning were expected to see the heaviest snowfall statewide.

In anticipation of the storm, Colorado Department of Transportation maintenance crews were preparing trucks for overnight snow removal, said Nancy Shanks, CDOT public relations manager, in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon.

The storm, which developed in the Arctic and dropped down through Canada and the Rocky Mountains, will bring some of the coldest temperatures Southwest Colorado has seen this season. Booth said temperatures will drop into the single digits on weekend nights with daytime highs in the 20s.

Locals can expect the cold weather and snowfall to continue.

“The large-scale pattern is looking like it will continue to allow these cold-weather systems to drop through the Arctic,” said Jim Daniels, also a forecaster with the weather service in Grand Junction. “We will probably see cold weather systems moving through western Colorado every three days.”

Forecasters anticipate more snowfall Saturday or Sunday, as well as Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Front Range temperatures plummeted Tuesday, dropping from the 50s into the 20s in just a few hours in the Denver area. The westbound side of the Eisenhower Tunnel on Interstate 70 was temporarily closed because of accidents and the snow Tuesday.

Up to 2 feet of snow was expected in some areas of the mountains, where strong winds will help increase the avalanche danger.

Up to 9 inches of snow is forecast for Denver by this afternoon. Temperatures along the northern Front Range are expected to drop into the single digits during the day and below zero at night for the rest of the week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Sarah Ford is a junior majoring in journalism at the University of Denver. herald@durangoherald.com

Winter storm definitions

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration frequently uses these terms in its winter forecasts:

Winter Storm Watch: Means severe winter conditions, such as heavy snow and/or ice, may affect your area, but its occurrence, location and timing are still uncertain. A winter storm watch is issued to provide 12 to 48 hours notice of severe weather.

Winter Storm Warning: A watch is upgraded to a warning when hazardous winter weather in the form of heavy snow, heavy freezing rain or heavy sleet is imminent or occurring. Warnings usually are issued 12 to 24 hours before the expected event.

Winter Weather Advisory: Inform you that winter weather conditions are expected to cause significant inconveniences that may be hazardous.

Blizzard Warning: Means snow and strong winds will combine to produce a blinding snow (near zero visibility), deep drifts and life-threatening wind chill.



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