The weather held off for a comfortable Snowdown Light Parade on Friday night, but if you haven’t finished digging out from the last big storm, better get it done first thing Saturday, because the National Weather Service is predicting another one-two punch of substantial snow starting later in the day.
“You’ll probably only see from 1 to 3 inches in town through Sunday, because that storm is hitting the northern San Juans, Silverton and Red Mountain Pass,” said meteorologist Jeff Colton from the Grand Junction office of the Weather Service. “But you’re under a winter storm watch from Sunday night through Monday as a big storm enters the Four Corners.”
Durango is expected to see 8 to 14 inches from that second punch, he said, with occasional light showers continuing until Wednesday morning. The mountains will see from 1 to 2 feet, he said, with some areas picking up as much as 3 feet.
Snow is forecasted to start in Durango in the early hours of Saturday, and there’s about a 60 percent chance of rain and snow Saturday. The likelihood of snow increases to 90 percent Saturday night and stays between 70 and 80 percent from Sunday through Monday night.
“We’ve been pretty excited watching this storm coming for several days,” Colton said. “It’s really wet.”
Is this an El Niño storm?
“It’s like El Niño in that it’s very moist,” he said. “But the orientation isn’t coming off Southern California like El Niño storms usually do, it’s coming out of the Northwest a little more.”
After the storm comes the cold, Colton said. Highs are forecasted to dip down into the 20s, with lows dropping to single digits.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said the current avalanche danger is moderate, but the additional new snow and wind will increase the danger by Sunday.
Much of the central part of Colorado is under a winter storm warning from midnight Friday to early Sunday, and other areas of the state are under a winter weather advisory. Travel in the mountains is expected to be hazardous.
Travelers are advised to check road conditions and airline schedules before setting out.
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Travel information
The Colorado Department of Transportation reminds motorists to check for updated weather information:
Visit www.cotrip.org for real-time road conditions, highway closures, average speeds, photos, live cameras streaming traffic, trucking information and more.
Call 511 to listen to recorded information about road conditions, projected trip travel times and trucker information.
Receive free email/text alerts at www.codot.gov/travel; choose from a list of subscription options at the “get connected” tab.
Follow @coloradodot on Twitter for traveler information and other news.
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Visit www.codot.gov/travel/winter-driving to get information about road conditions, what to keep in a vehicle during the winter, how to safely pass a snowplow, commercial-vehicle requirements, seasonal closures, snow removal and avalanche control.
Herald Staff
