Southwest Colorado’s parched residents were teased with some snowflakes Monday afternoon, but that’s probably about it from this storm system.
“It’s very spring-like, very showery in nature,” said Norv Larson, meteorologist with the Grand Junction Office of the National Weather Service. “I doubt that you’ll get much in town, but the mountains might get a little more.”
Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort reported that it snowed about 45 minutes Monday afternoon, but it could claim only a trace of accumulation. Silverton Mountain was a little luckier, reporting 4 inches of new snow.
The Colorado Department of Transportation declared the chain law in effect for commercial vehicles on Coal Bank, Molas and Red Mountain passes at 7 p.m. Monday. Wolf Creek Pass was reporting snow, icy spots and snowpacked spots early Monday evening.
The north and central mountains along with the Front Range, meanwhile, saw some real accumulation, and they remained under a winter storm warning until 8 p.m.
The town of Ward, about 15 miles west of Boulder, had reported 16.5 inches of snow by mid-afternoon Monday, and Breckenridge and Winter Park ski areas each reported about 7 inches; Eldora Mountain Resort near Boulder reported 15 inches.
Officials warned of heavy snow and slow traffic along Interstate 70 through the mountains. Denver International Airport canceled about 60 flights Monday morning, but general departures and delays were within the 15-minutes-or-less window by Monday afternoon.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center rated the San Juan Mountains as having a low-avalanche danger, but the northern mountains along the Front Range had considerable danger, thanks to high snowfall and windy conditions.
Snowpack numbers continue to point to drought for Southwest Colorado. The state as a whole stood at 80 percent of the 30-year-average before this storm hit, but numbers vary widely across the state. Snow depth in the South Platte, Arkansas and Colorado river basins ranged from 91 to 102 percent of average, while Southwest Colorado’s depth ranged from 60 to 75 percent of average.
But, there may be hope.
“You do have the potential for a nice storm (this) weekend,” Larson said. “I hesitate to get too excited about it. As we’ve seen persistently this winter for your area, a week out, storms look promising, and then it all passes to the east.”
That storm currently has a lot of moisture and energy associated with it, he said. Larson expects La Plata County to start clouding up Friday afternoon, with showers starting Saturday morning and continuing, possibly, through Tuesday morning.
“You’ll be flirting with the rain and snow line in Durango,” he said, “but it looks pretty juicy, at least for Durango Mountain Resort and just up the (Animas) Valley.”
abutlerdurangoherald.com. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
