The pattern of mountain snow and little accumulation in town probably will continue with storms predicted to begin this afternoon and last through Saturday.
“Right now, this is looking like mostly a mountain event,” said Jeff Colton, a meteorologist with the Grand Junction office of the National Weather Service. “It will be series of Pacific waves, but it will be pretty steady above 7,500 feet.”
The weather service is forecasting from 10 to 20 inches in the southern San Juans, but 1 to 2 feet in the northern and central mountains.
“The southern mountains don’t get much from this storm,” Colton said, “but you’ll get yours. We’ve still got February and March to go.”
Local ski areas are happy for fresh snow in time for the next big ski weekend, Presidents’ Day weekend.
On Tuesday afternoon, Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort reported 7 inches of new snow in the last 72 hours with a midway base of 52 inches; Wolf Creek Ski area had received 22 inches in the previous 48 hours and was reporting a 104-inch base at midway; Telluride Ski Resort has gotten 3 feet of snow in the last week and has a 67-inch base; and Silverton Mountain, which got 4 inches in the last 72 hours, had a midmountain base of 79 inches.
In the next few days, travelers should check www.cotrip.org for road conditions before setting out. Area passes, including Wolf Creek, Coal Bank, Molas, Red Mountain and Lizard Head, already were reporting icy and snowpacked roads Tuesday night.
Red Mountain Pass remains closed except for two periods during the day, 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. with single-lane, alternating traffic around a rockslide that hit Jan. 12. The Colorado Department of Transportation is hoping to open the pass by the end of the week.
abutler@durangoherald.com
