The first significant low-elevation storm of the 2025-26 season blanketed Durango and other low-lying areas of Southwest Colorado on Wednesday with several inches of snow and ushered in chilly temperatures, making for challenging driving conditions.
According to National Weather Service meteorologist Kate Abbott, many parts of the San Juan Mountains saw between 5 and 12 inches of snow, particularly around Ridgway and Ouray. Snow totals down in Durango, though, averaged between 2 and 4 inches. She said this round of snow was the last Durango will see in the near future.
“The event kind of shaped up pretty well to what we were expecting,” she said. “(In Southwest Colorado), you should have a couple quieter days ahead.”
Flights to and from Durango-La Plata Airport were not significantly impacted, according to Aviation Director Tony Vicari. Apart from one flight coming into the airport from Denver that had to turn around before landing in Durango because of poor visibility, the airport noted no delays in takeoffs because of the weather as of Wednesday afternoon. Vicari said the only delays were from Denver, which was also dealing with adverse weather.
The storm, which blew in on Tuesday evening, made for treacherous driving conditions. The Durango Police Department issued an accident alert for U.S. Highway 550 after multiple crashes Tuesday night, though it was lifted by 5:20 a.m. Wednesday, according to the department’s Facebook page.
Another storm is expected to clip the San Juan Mountains this weekend, though it likely will not impact low-elevation areas, including Durango, Abbott said.
“On the northern edge of the San Juans, we’ll see anywhere between 4 and 8 inches, and the heaviest snowfall rates are expected Friday night into Saturday morning,” she said.
Temperatures will be cold with gradual warming over the next several days. Cold air could settle into valley bottoms, especially at higher elevations.
“We’re pretty seasonally normal here through the weekend and into next week as well,” Abbott said. “We do have some of our cold pool regions, that once they get snow covered can drop off to pretty low temperatures overnight. We could see some region or some locally cool spots, but for the most part, we’ll be around our seasonal normals for both high and low temperatures.”
She noted that Silverton, which was built in a valley bottom, recorded a low of minus 11 degrees Wednesday evening.
She said the extended weather outlook has models showing equal chances for above or below normal precipitation in Southwest Colorado. Regardless of the iffy forecast, she reminded motorists to be aware of potentially icy roads. Especially in shady areas and high in the mountains, melting snow can refreeze on roads, creating slick ice.
“There will be the potential for wet roads to refreeze overnight and into the early morning hours of each day,” Abbott said. “Canyons and shadowed roads are typically where we see a lot of melt-freeze happen.”
She said travel could become hazardous this weekend over mountain passes – especially Friday night and Saturday morning, when snow and wind are expected to reduce visibility.
Brian Lazar, forecaster with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, urged anyone recreating in the backcountry to check the organization’s forecasts and be aware of the avalanche risk.
“The snowpack is hovering around 70% of long-term median (in the San Juans), which isn’t great, but it looks a lot better than it did a few weeks ago,” he said. “That, of course, led to an uptick in avalanche activity and even a brief period of considerable danger.”
He said snow that fell Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as the snow expected to fall Friday and Saturday, will make avalanches more likely. Unfortunately, the slopes with the most coverage – which look the most enticing for skiing and snowboarding – will likely be the most dangerous.
“What’s tricky at this time of the year is that the places that are most attractive for riding are going to be the most dangerous because they have the best snow coverage,” Lazar said.
Because of that, he advised backcountry travelers to observe the CAIC forecast, which is issued every day about 4 a.m. at avalanche.state.co.us and says which aspects of a given slope are safest. Additionally, carrying appropriate safety gear and going with knowledgeable partners is important.
“The essential rescue gear is imperative,” Lazar said. “That is an avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe. And you’re always going to be safer if you travel with partners who both have that equipment and are practiced in using it, because if something does go wrong, getting saved by your companions is really your only realistic hope of coming out unscathed.”
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
