An estimated 2,900 La Plata County residents are without power because of downed lines and utility poles caused by the snowstorm that hit Southwest Colorado in the early morning hours.

“It’s a really wet, heavy snow,” said La Plata Electric Association spokeswoman Hillary Knox. “It’s weighing everything down, including the overhead lines.”

Crews dispatched to the various outage areas are also dealing with trees collapsing onto power lines. There have also been reports of two utility poles that are down.

The areas hit the hardest so far are the Southern Ute Reservation and locations north and west of Bayfield. Other confirmed power outages are Three Springs, areas south of Animas Air Park along U.S. Highway 550 and Durango-La Plata Airport, though it only experienced a temporary power outage around 10:15 a.m.

Five crews have been sent out to repair lines so far. A total of 15 areas have been confirmed to have outages so far, and another 54 areas have been reported.

“It’s a little bit of a mess out there,” said Knox. “This kind of snow can cause a lot of difficulties.”

Residents are encouraged to go on the LPEA’s website for any further updates about power outages in their area.

molsen@durangoherald.com