A brisk storm that passed through Southwest Colorado on Tuesday provided a preview of a larger weather system expected to arrive later this week with more wind, cooler temperatures, and larger amounts of snow and rain.
The National Weather Service warns drivers to be prepared for icy road conditions Friday morning. The second, larger system is expected to arrive mid-afternoon Thursday and last through Friday morning, said meteorologist Tom Renwick with the Weather Service in Grand Junction.
The storm is expected to bring 1 to 2 feet of snow to the San Juan Mountains and 1 to 3 inches of snow to Cortez, Durango and Pagosa Springs. Rain is also possible at lower elevations, he said.
Snow is expected to start falling Thursday morning in the higher elevations of the San Juans.
A cold front is expected to hit hard Friday night.
“When that front comes through overnight, whew, that’s a good one,” Renwick said.
He advised against traveling Thursday night and Friday morning in the areas of Cortez, Durango and Pagosa Springs. The meteorologist also advised against driving over Coal Bank and Molas passes, north of Durango.
“Even during the day Friday, I expect it’s going to be pretty bad up there,” he said. “There’s no way, man.”
Renwick said wind gusts up to 25 mph will probably pick up as the cold front hits Thursday night. More wind gusts are possible between noon and 6 p.m. Friday.
“Certainly not crazy, but certainly not the best thing to drive in, because if it’s snowing, it will blow that snow around,” he said.
Wednesday temperatures are forecast to reach a high of 46 degrees, slightly above the average for this time of year, which is 44 degrees. The mercury will then drop as the week goes on, with a high of 44 on Thursday, 35 degrees on Friday and 34 degrees on Saturday. The low could be zero or 1 degree early Saturday.
Backcountry skiers and outdoorsy types often get pretty excited about the first big storm of the winter season, Renwick said. However, he cautioned people preparing for backcountry outings to be careful and to make sure they are prepared to venture out into the elements.
“People get so excited, then they get up there and they’re not prepared,” he said.
He said people won’t bring enough gear because they figure recent warm days mean conditions won’t be so bad on the mountainside.
“If you’re going to go into the backcountry, always be prepared,” Renwick said.
The last weather system to pass through, which arrived mid-afternoon Monday and had blown out of town by noon Tuesday, brought about 4 to 6 inches of snow to the San Juans above 10,000 feet.
Lower elevations, between 7,000 and 9,000 feet, received 3 to 4 inches, said meteorologist Kris Sanders with the Weather Service. Pagosa Springs received about a half inch of snow.
cburney@durangoherald.com
