The “heart of winter” is set to hit Durango starting midnight Sunday and into Monday morning, with the National Weather Service predicting an estimated 8 to 14 inches of snowfall.

Joe Ramey, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said the latest forecasts are still calling for major accumulations of snow in elevations above 6,500 feet.

Ramey said rain is expected to switch to snow “pretty quick” around midnight on Monday. Major snowfall will continue into Monday morning, a foreboding forecast that holds “large impacts” for morning commutes.

Snow will begin to diminish Monday evening, with scattered storms lingering into Tuesday, though no additional accumulation is expected, Ramey said.

“Snowfall will be done by Wednesday, but then the cold weather settles in,” Ramey said.

Lows Wednesday are expected to dip below freezing, with a prediction of negative 15 degrees overnight on Wednesday.

Ramey said there’s a chance temperatures will warm up by the weekend.

“We’re in the heart of winter,” he said.

In the Southwest San Juan Mountains, up to Red Mountain Pass, 6 to 12 inches of snowfall is expected Sunday night, and another 6 to 12 inches are predicted to fall Monday.

The Silverton Standard & the Miner reported Silverton town administrator Bill Gardner issued a statement Sunday, saying the town’s Public Works crew is in emergency response mode.

“Citizens with an emergency need to be plowed out should call the Public Works Snow Hotline and someone will respond immediately to plow them out,” Gardner wrote. “Thank you for your support and understanding in this season’s largest winter storm.”

Ramey said the only danger for Durango and the surrounding area is if the precipitation remains as rain and freezes on the roads as temperatures fall with the setting sun.

Durango will be in a Winter Storm Warning until midday Tuesday.