Residents and road crews were out in force clearing snow from roads and sidewalks after at least 6 inches of snow fell overnight in the city and up to a foot accumulated in higher elevations of La Plata County.
Durango School District and Fort Lewis College canceled classes Friday morning.
“Heavy snowfall and strong winds are causing slick roads and whiteout conditions in some areas of the county,” Durango School District said in a news release Friday morning. “This decision was made in collaboration with emergency management.”
La Plata County announced government offices would be on a two-hour delay in the morning.
Road conditions were snowpacked and icy – enough for at least one resident to tear through the streets of west Durango on a snowmobile.
Skiers skinning up Chapman Hill – Durango’s in-town ski area – enjoyed several inches of cold, fluffy powder Friday morning.
The adverse weather conditions also forced the Durango and Bayfield senior centers to cancel their Meals on Wheels program Friday, according to an email from La Plata County spokeswoman Jasmine Beaubien. Additionally, the Bayfield Senior Center called off its indoor dining program for the day.
The Durango Police Department announced via Facebook that the Emergency Warming Center would be open from 6 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church Parish Hall, located at 254 East Fifth Ave.
Lisa Schwantes, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation, said road maintenance crews were working to keep highways clear.
“We’re out in full force,” Schwantes said. “We are getting some reports from the crews that are out in the field that it is a little windy out there. Some of our operators are describing blowing wind and some whiteout conditions.”
Schwantes advised drivers to be aware of possible road closures and traction control laws. About 10 a.m. Friday, U.S. Highway 160 between Pagosa Springs and South Fork, including Wolf Creek Pass, had closed due to adverse weather, but reopened about 11:10 a.m.
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Schwantes said if traction control laws are in effect, drivers must either have a four-wheel drive vehicle or chains. Commercial vehicles must use chains.
Durango-La Plata County Airport Director of Aviation Tony Vicari said the airport was working to clear runways since early Friday.
“Flights have been departing largely with some delays, mix of very low visibility at times, low cloud ceilings, as well as extended de-icing with heavy snowfall on that front,” Vicari said. “We have not yet had any flight cancellations.”
Vicari advised travelers to arrive at least 90 minutes ahead of their scheduled flight, including building in extra time to drive to the airport. Arriving early gives passengers extra time to accommodate for delays and coordinate with airlines.
According to Opensnow, Purgatory received 5 inches as of Friday morning, Silverton reported 4 inches and Wolf Creek Ski Area received 17 inches. A Purgatory spokesman said Friday’s snow brought the resort’s three-day total to 2½ feet and allowed the resort to open 85% of trails.
The resort’s parking lot had reached full capacity by Friday afternoon, and visits to the mountain had increased by more than 90% since Wednesday, the spokesman said.
Across Durango and outlying areas, residents were shoveling their driveways, soaking up the much needed snow day on the slopes, and basking in a cozy day off of work and school.
Courtney Williams, who lives with her husband and kids in the Rafter J neighborhood located southwest of Durango, said the area received about 8 inches of snow overnight and through the morning.
“The kids have been outside all day playing in the snow,” she said.
Mandi Becher, who lives near Twin Buttes in western Durango, said her car had collected about 5 inches of snow as of Friday afternoon amid the “gnarly” conditions.
She was scheduled to work her bartending job in town Friday evening, but took the morning and afternoon to relax indoors as the snow fell.
“I’ve just been cleaning my house and taking my own kind of chill snow day,” she said.
Josh Kling, his son, Corbin, and a friend used their day off to rank the best sledding hills in Durango. Together, the trio hit the hill near the River Church on Plymouth Drive, the hill at Buckley Park and the one between Chapman Hill and the Gun Club.
“We have a multitude of sleds,” Kling said. “We have a saucer, we have a toboggan, we have an expedition Polk and we have some shovels to build jumps if need be. This is the real deal.”
Kling said Buckley Park’s sledding hill was the favorite, due to its steep, exciting pitch and relatively long run out.
Sharla Gottesman, who lives with her two daughters and husband on the west side of Electra Lake north of Durango, said the area received about 7 inches overnight and through the morning.
Despite a brief neighborhood power outage, the need to shovel and icy road conditions, the family was able to take advantage of the powder by skiing at Purgatory, and invited friends over to their home in the afternoon to make snowmen.
“The roads were better than Wednesday, but they were completely iced-over,” Gottesman said of the family’s drive to Purgatory on Friday. “We have studded snow tires living up here, so we felt pretty good driving, but it was treacherous for a regular driver.”
An employee at the Les Schwab Tire Center on South Camino del Rio said the shop was busier than usual handling an influx of flat tires and front-end car damage, which he said could be attributed to the icy roads creating dangerous driving conditions.
Mike Araujo, a cashier at the Town Plaza Kroegers ACE Hardware, said the store had sold more than 60 bags of salt, nearly as many shovels and at least one snowblower by Friday afternoon.
A common sentiment among residents, local employees and skiers was how appreciated the heavy snowfall was amid an unseasonably warm and dry winter.
“For the skiing community, whether you’re a downhill skier or Nordic skier, we’re all breathing a huge sigh of relief with this big storm,” said Vallecito Nordic Ski Club board member Eric Pierson.
Thanks to the storm, the Vallecito Nordic Ski Club was finally able to effectively groom trails and planned to open Saturday, Pierson said.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center issued a high avalanche danger rating – 4 out of 5 – and an avalanche warning for the San Juan Mountains. The center advised extreme caution for backcountry skiers, stating that destructive, potentially deadly avalanches would be easy to trigger on most steep slopes.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory through 11 p.m. Friday for Cortez, Mancos, Durango, Bayfield, Ignacio and Pagosa Springs.
A day-by-day warming trend and bluebird skies are expected to arrive through the weekend as the storm exits the area, according to NWS forecasts. Temperatures will top out in the mid-50s in Durango on Monday, with no precipitation expected in the near-term forecast.
