As Southwest Colorado begins to dig out from four days of snow, here’s what’s happening:
UPDATE: 12:13 p.m. Saturday:
Visit http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20151226/NEWS01/151229714/Watch-now:-Time-lapse-video-of-storm-on-Camino to see a time-elapse video of the storm.
UPDATE: 11 a.m. Saturday:
At this time, CDOT is reporting Molas Pass on U.S. Highway 550 as open, with Coal Bank and Red Mountain passes closed for avalanche mitigation. There is no estimated time of reopening. The road to Silverton was opened completely by 9:30 p.m. Friday for a time.
All area highways are reported as being snowpacked and icy in spots. Drivers are being cautioned about driving at speeds safe for the conditions.
Wolf Creek Pass, which was closed early Friday morning because of blizzard conditions, remains partially closed as the Colorado Department of Transportation conducts avalanche mitigation on the western side. The eastern side, however, is plowed and sanded, providing access to Wolf Creek Ski Area for skiers and snowboarders coming from the San Luis Valley.
It’s bitterly cold at the area, with a current temperature of minus 10 degrees, but the powder is fresh, with a midway depth of 91 inches. Wolf Creek has received 240 inches of snow this season to date.
Purgatory Resort received 15 inches of snow in the last 24 hours and more than 5 feet of snow in the last week. Skiers headed up to enjoy the fresh powder should bundle up. Today’s high at the resort will be a chilly 16 degrees, and it’s scheduled to drop to minus 1 degree overnight. Sunday is forecast to be more of the same.
The early morning flights out of Durango on Saturday were canceled, but the Durango-La Plata County Airport is beginning to get back on schedule. United Airlines Flight 4878 from Denver, which was scheduled to arrive at 9:30 a.m. has been delayed until 11:57 a.m., but the morning American Airlines flight from Dallas-Fort Worth scheduled to arrive at 10 a.m. actually arrived 15 minutes early. The 11:37 a.m. American flight from Phoenix is also scheduled to arrive about 15 minutes early.
Amid all the canceled flights, the Road Runner Stage line from Durango to Grand Junction has operated every day of the storm, according to Peter Tregillus, program director for Southern Ute Community Action Programs, which runs the service.
“We go over Lizard Head (Pass, on Colorado Highway 145), which has remained open,” he said. “Our passenger counts have been near their maximum since we started in 2014. And yes, we have run 45 to 90 minutes late on the hardest days, but we coordinate with Greyhound. We, and they, hold bus departures in Grand Junction so riders don’t miss their connections.”
Previous story:
Those who dreamed of a white Christmas saw their dreams come true.
For the fourth day in a row, Southwest Colorado experienced snowy weather and icy roads Friday.
Colorado Department of Transportation, La Plata County and Durango snowplow drivers worked throughout the night Christmas Eve and the day on Christmas.
On Friday morning, one weary snowplow driver told Central Dispatch, “Could you tell everyone who’s wishing for a white Christmas, they can stop now?”
All Durango area passes – Wolf Creek, Coal Bank, Molas, Red Mountain and Cumbres-La Manga – closed Friday morning and remained closed at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
“The avalanche watcher up there said it’s snowing at rates of 2 to 3 inches an hour,” said Joe Ramey, a meteorologist with the Grand Junction office of the National Weather Service, late morning on Friday. “Avalanches are running on Red Mountain, and it may stay closed into (Saturday).”
Winds were gusting up to 70 mph on the pass, he said.
“With this convection, we might have considered bringing out the big gun and issuing a blizzard warning up there because that is essentially what’s happening there,” Ramey said. “But since it’s closed anyway, it doesn’t really matter.”
The weather service did issue a blizzard warning for Wolf Creek and Cumbres passes until 11 p.m. Friday.
“The storm will be winding down (Friday) evening,” Ramey said, “but that doesn’t mean it’s coming to an end. You’ll have a break from the heavy snow, but there will still be snow showers.”
There is a 20 percent chance of snow Saturday during the day and overnight in Durango before skies clear Sunday. Higher elevations may see heavier snow until Saturday night.
Southwest Colorado residents should expect to bundle up for much of the winter, Ramey said.
“It’s going to be brutally cold through the month of January and maybe from February into March,” he said. “When snow moves into the valleys during the shortest days of the year, it tends to stay there. Highs will be below freezing, and lows will be below zero at night.”
The current forecast calls for a high of 24 degrees Saturday, with a low of 2 degrees overnight. Temperatures are predicted to remain with highs in the 20s and lows in single digits through New Year’s Day.
Durango-La Plata County Airport was landing planes Friday afternoon after having the runways closed for part of the morning. But there were still several delays.
American Airlines Flight 5803 from Dallas, which was diverted to Albuquerque, was finally able to land at 1:45 p.m. The flight was originally scheduled to arrive just after 10 a.m. The United Airlines flight scheduled to arrive at 3:35 p.m. took off about an hour late and then was diverted back to Denver.
On Saturday, travelers should check their flight’s status before heading to the airport. If flights are unable to land Friday night, there will not be aircraft available for the early morning flights out of Durango scheduled for Saturday.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has rated the risk of avalanches in both the northern and southern San Juan Mountains as high for the rest of the weekend.
“Natural and triggered avalanches are likely,” the center said, “and human-triggered avalanches are very likely.”
The weather service said by midday Saturday, just north of Durango, 5.3 inches of snow had fallen since the storm began Thursday afternoon, with Rockwood reporting 13.3 inches. Purgatory Resort has received 46 inches in the last five days, including 23 inches in the 24 hours from 4 p.m. Thursday to 4 p.m. Friday. It was still snowing steadily Friday night. The area reported a 67-inch base midway as of Friday afternoon.
Wolf Creek Ski Area was closed Friday because Wolf Creek Pass was closed, but the area is expecting the west side of the pass on U.S. Highway 160 to open Saturday after the Colorado Department of Transportation conducts hazard reduction. The area, which has received 225 inches of snow season-to-date, reported 19 inches of snow in the last 24 hours and a total of 62 inches since Tuesday. The midway depth is 89 inches.
Expert skiers jonesing to hit Silverton Mountain will have to wait until the passes on U.S. Highway 550 are open, but they can expect great skiing when they get there. The ski area has received 57 inches in the past 72 hours and 16 inches in the past 24. The mid-mountain base is 80 inches.
CDOT is working to get passes open Saturday, but no estimated times of reopening have been released.
The Durango Herald will continue to issue updates as they become available Saturday. To get breaking news texted to your phone, text dhnews to 99000.
abutler@durangoherald.com
