Well over a foot of snow has landed in the city of Durango since Thursday while upward of 2 feet accumulated in certain parts of the San Juan Mountains in 72 hours. Although the worst of the weather has likely passed, Mother Nature has not entirely relented.
The respite from snow expected Wednesday will not last long. The high-pressure system that will bring warmer weather and clear skies Wednesday will be followed by another series of weak, low-pressure systems.
The deep atmospheric river that dumped wet, heavy snow over Southwest Colorado and parts of Utah carried moisture picked up over the Pacific Ocean. The series of systems moving in later this week and over the weekend are expected to be similar in character. The amount of moisture that remains in the storm by the time it reaches Colorado will depend on which route it takes.
“These next systems do look a little bit weaker as they’re moving inland further north than some of the more recent events,” said Erin Walter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction. “Those will just be weaker for us if a lot of that moisture is wrung out over the Sierra Nevadas and Wasatch Range. We’re the third range that gets to bring out some of that atmospheric river moisture.”
Walter said the moisture content will not be “as impressive,” but called the coming days “an active period nonetheless.”
Cortez, Durango, Bayfield and Pagosa Springs should receive light precipitation in the form of rain and snow as the series of weak systems arrive.
Community snow observations submitted from the latter three towns Tuesday morning indicated snowfall of between 1 and 2 inches, while Cortez reported 2 to 4 inches of snow. Farmington did not receive snow and is not expected to in the coming days.
Durango school students received at least two extra days of winter break after Durango School District 9-R canceled classes on Monday and Tuesday because of hazardous road conditions and power outages. Bayfield schools have remained open.
9-R spokeswoman Karla Sluis said she could not predict whether schools will be open later this week because decisions are made at early morning hours based on condition reports from staff members and the recommendation of the Office of Emergency Management. The OEM uses input from a number of agencies including the Colorado Department of Transportation, La Plata Electric Association, the city of Durango and La Plata County when making its recommendation.
The heavy snowfall closed roads throughout the region as well. CDOT closed Wolf Creek Pass overnight on Jan. 1 as a result of “adverse weather and high avalanche danger.”
Crews reopened Molas and Coal Bank passes on U.S. Highway 550 between Durango and Silverton by 4 p.m. Monday, but Red Mountain Pass between Silverton and Ouray remained closed as of Tuesday afternoon.
CDOT spokeswoman Lisa Schwantes said two crews began work at 6 a.m. Tuesday from both sides of the pass to clear debris and mitigate the avalanche risk in known slide paths.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Red Mountain Pass remained closed.
“The triggered slides brought down dirty snow filled with trees, limbs and rock,” said CODT Deputy Superintendent of Maintenance John Palmer in a statement to The Durango Herald at 3 p.m. Tuesday. “The debris makes cleanup of the roadway challenging for crews and equipment and it slow-going. It is taking longer than expected to clean up the highway. However, our goal is to have Red Mt. Pass cleared and open by this evening.”
Schwantes said drivers should check road closures and conditions on maps.COtrip.org before traveling.
In Durango, the city’s streets department will begin removing snow and ice from downtown Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. The work will continue Wednesday night and into Thursday morning. Any cars parked in downtown overnight are subject to be ticketed and towed.
LPEA reported scattered power outages as the new year began, including 13 units reporting power outages Tuesday morning. The cooperative tweeted that it expects more outages as snow melts.
The series of storms has been a boon to skiers in the area. Purgatory Resort reported 37 inches of snow accumulation over in the 48 hours preceding the Tuesday morning conditions report. Hesperus Ski Area opened for tubing and uphill access, and the lift could start operating as soon as this weekend.
Backcountry skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers will want to continue to practice diligent risk management even as the avalanche danger begins to settle. Slides are still possible on persistent weak layers that remain from early-season dry periods and can release large slides of fresh snow. Colorado has had two avalanche fatalities this season.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
