Parts of the San Juan Mountains received 3 feet of snow from the overnight storm that hit Southwest Colorado early Monday, but Durango reported only a half inch of snow as of 7 a.m. – outpaced by Cortez where 1.3 inches had fallen.
Mountain passes in Southwest Colorado were reported to be snowpacked, but Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Lisa Schwantes said traction restrictions in Southwest Colorado had been lifted by 8 a.m.
“Restrictions are based on crews out in the field, boots on the ground,” she said. “They’ll advise us when they are needed, and things can change quickly if we get a particularly strong wave from the storm. The best thing for travelers is to visit COtrip to stay current on conditions.”
Travelers should stay at least three car lengths behind snowplows, and they should adjust to conditions, slowing down and giving their vehicles longer distances to slow down.
Schwantes said no crashes causing blockages of state highways had been reported as Monday morning.
CDOT had snowplow crews on 12-hour snow shifts, and crews expect snow to fall through Monday afternoon.
Colorado State Patrol Capt. Adrian Driscoll said a few minor crashes with cars sliding off the pavement had been reported as of 9:30 p.m., but no serious accidents.
“We want to remind people to take it easy,” he said. “Start your commute earlier and slow down.”
Durango Police Department Sgt. David Longonette said no crashes were reported in the city during Monday morning’s commute
At 11 p.m. Sunday, six members of San Juan County Search and Rescue and Silverton Ambulance completed a search and rescue – bringing four hunters back to the Colorado Trail trailhead after the party had issued a distress call at 8:30 p.m.
The hunters reported they were unable to continue to their destination, Little Molas trailhead, because of heavy snowfall, according to a post on the San Juan County Search and Rescue’s Facebook page.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s Search and Rescue department located the four adults from the hunters’ GPS device.
Six rescuers walked several miles in deep snow to bring the trapped hunters supplies and guide them safely back to the Colorado Trail trailhead at 11 p.m.
The hunters had a group of horses that were left overnight, but were safely retrieved Monday, according to the Facebook post.
The storm has provided some relief from dry conditions.
Flows in the Animas River reached a weekly low point of 135 cubic feet per second during several afternoon measurements on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water Information System.
During the storm, the Animas River flow peaked at 219 cfs at 11:45 p.m. Sunday and at 1:30 p.m. Monday the river was running at 174 cfs.
Megan Stackhouse, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said snow can be expected through Monday afternoon with flurries continuing after dark, but the bulk of the snowfall has occurred.
“We have reports of 3 feet of snow in some parts of the San Juan Mountains,” she said. “Lower elevations of Southwest Colorado, the river basins, received 1 to 3 inches, and you might see another half inch accumulation at lower elevations.”
A winter storm warning is in effect through 11 p.m. Monday with 4 to 8 inches of additional snow expected in the San Juan Mountains, favoring the southern San Juans above 9,500 feet.
A hazardous weather outlook is in effect for lower elevations of Southwest Colorado calling for the possibility of snow flurries through Tuesday followed by cold temperatures the remainder of the week.
Wolf Creek Ski Area reported 12 inches of snow in the past 24 hours and 27 inches in the past 48 hours as of 10 a.m. Monday.
Few snowfall totals had been reported to the Weather Service as of Monday morning. Some measurements included: Durango, half an inch; Pagosa Springs 1.4 inches and Cortez 1.3 inches.
Red Mountain Pass had 10 inches as of 8:30 a.m. Monday.
Cortez weather watcher Jim Andrus said Cortez has received only 5.78 inches of precipitation year to date compared with an average of 11.69 inches through the end of November.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
