Storm expected to move out of region by midnight; until then, more snow

Friday, Feb 22, 2019 11:57 AM Updated Friday, Feb. 22, 2019 7:08 PM

Even local weather observers impressed by snowfall totals

Traffic was reduced to one lane Friday on U.S. Highway 550 north of Durango where several emergency vehicles became stuck while responding to a medical call at the Alpine Rose RV Park. A snowplow was helping free the rescue vehicles.

Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Snow piled up along Delwood Avenue this morning as more snow fell overnight, covering up the clean sidewalks residents worked to clear Thursday night.

Amy Maestas/Durango Herald

Courtesy of Doug Miller

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Courtesy of Dennis Finn

Courtesy of Keith and Mary Mandelski

Courtesy of Steffi Lukso

Courtesy of Rachel Frederico

Courtesy of Barb

Courtesy of Cindy Levin

Courtesy of Maria Gonzales

Courtesy of Barb

Courtesy of Deb Denious

Courtesy of Ashley Blackmore

Courtesy of Deb Denious

Courtesy of Susan Sipe

Courtesy of Missy Stephenson

Courtesy of Veronica Lasater

Courtesy of Emma Van Dyck

Courtesy of Pam Jacobs

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Courtesy of Diana Reynolds

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Courtesy of Ken Rice

Courtesy of Charles and Martha Diehl

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Courtesy of Doug Miller

Courtesy of William Siegel

Courtesy of Jenifer Livesey

Courtesy of Davitt Armstrong

Courtesy of Elwin Johnston

Courtesy of Colleen Dunning

Courtesy of Karen

Courtesy of Ben Sorensen

Courtesy of David Torres

Courtesy of Karen

Courtesy of Kim Cofman

Courtesy of Baron Tomlinson

Courtesy of Ben Sorensen

Courtesy of Crystal Whitt

Courtesy of Christie Ann

Courtesy of Crystal Whitt

Courtesy of Dina Thompson

Courtesy of Steffi Lukso

Courtesy of Dennis Finn

Courtesy of Keith and Mary Mandelski

Courtesy of Steffi Lukso

Courtesy of Rachel Frederico

Courtesy of Barb

Courtesy of Cindy Levin

Courtesy of Maria Gonzales

Courtesy of Barb

Courtesy of Deb Denious

Courtesy of Ashley Blackmore

Courtesy of Deb Denious

Courtesy of Susan Sipe

Courtesy of Missy Stephenson

Courtesy of Veronica Lasater

Courtesy of Emma Van Dyck

Courtesy of Pam Jacobs

Courtesy of Diana Reynolds

Courtesy of Madeline Smith

Courtesy of Diana Reynolds

Courtesy of Gabby Kaplan

Courtesy of Ken Rice

Courtesy of Charles and Martha Diehl

Courtesy of Gina Doerner

Courtesy of Gabby Kaplan

Courtesy of Gena Doerner

Courtesy of Dawn

Courtesy of Judy Griffiths

Courtesy of Megan Christensen

Courtesy of Bif Hilliard

Courtesy of Alicia Spear

Courtesy of Karen Cook

Courtesy of Kaila Cook

Courtesy of Heather Stevens

Courtesy of Brittany Smith

Courtesy of Lynn Dearey

Courtesy of Wendy Graham

Good evening, and welcome to another day in a winter wonderland. About 6 inches of snow fell Thursday night and this morning in Durango, snarling traffic across the region and providing the impetus for canceling schools for a second day in a row. The storm was expected to blow out of the region by midnight.

Here’s what you need to know to stay safe and be prepared during the winter storm:

Coal Bank and Molas passes reopen

Coal Bank and Molas passes reopened about 6 p.m. Friday after being closed for much of the day. Significant snow accumulations on the mountain passes caused snowbanks to slip into the road on U.S. Highway, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

US 550 NB/SB: Safety closure between MM 49.6 and MM 70.1. Coal Bank & Molas Passes closed due to adverse conditions. No estimated reopen time.
— CDOT (@ColoradoDOT) February 22, 2019

The southern closure point is located just north of Purgatory Ski Resort near Cascade Creek at mile post 53. Purgatory is accessible from the south. The highway is closed again in Silverton at mile post 70. Red Mountain Pass, which provides access to Silverton from the north, remains open.

Wolf Creek Pass was closed from 6 a.m. to 9:47 a.m. today, said CDOT spokeswoman Lisa Schwantes.

Snow routes are in effect for Durango, meaning vehicles parked on designated “important and necessary routes” will be towed.

Snow Routes

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Air travel largely unaffected

Durango-La Plata County Airport Director Tony Vicari said operations will continue as normal. Passengers can expect delays, but because most of the snow fell north of the airport, cancellations are not anticipated, Vicari said.

Snow totals so far

Snow totals vary greatly based on elevation gradients across La Plata County. What’s clear is there is more to come.

Purgatory Resort reported 2 feet of snow accumulation in 24 hours. Derek Snyder, a cooperative weather observer for the National Weather Service in Hesperus, said he received 26½ inches from Tuesday to 7 a.m. today.

“I’ve been here 21 years and this is the worst snow that I’ve seen,” Snyder said. “It’s tough.”

Larry Zauberis, a cooperative weather observer for the National Weather Service 5 miles south of Farmington Hill, said he has seen almost 2 feet since Tuesday. Zauberis used to work as a snowplow operator for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and said he hasn’t seen this much snow since the early to mid-1990s.

“You can imagine, it’s getting be a hassle,” Zauberis said.

But Silverton and San Juan County haven’t seen nearly as much snow, said Freddie Canfield, a cooperative weather observer in Silverton. Since Saturday, Canfield said he has recorded 17.6 inches of snow in Silverton. While the snow is up to the windows in his home, he doesn’t see the snow adversely impacting the community. Children ski to school, he said, and if Canfield wants to get something from his garage, he puts on snow shoes.

Just south of downtown Durango, on Saw Mill Road, Bill Butler recoded almost 35 inches of snow since it began falling Wednesday, “and it’s still snowing pretty good,” he said about 11:45 a.m. Friday. It is the most snow he has seen in the past seven years, he said.

Kevin Heckman, a NWS and a Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network observer in lower Forest Lakes, recorded 0.52 inches of water and 10.9 inches of snow at 7 a.m. Friday. His snow depth at that time was 39 inches.

Efforts to receive official snow totals from Ignacio and Hermosa were not immediately successful Friday.

In the month of February, 48.9 inches of snow has fallen in Durango, said John Kyle, data acquisition program manager for the NWS. Average snowfall in February for Durango is about 15 inches, he said. The record, set in 1911, was 57.6 inches for the month of February.

What’s to come

You guessed it, more snow.

Durango could expect anywhere from 2 to 3 inches before the storm moves out of the area, and higher elevations could get 3 to 6 inches, said Kris Sanders, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

That’s on top of the 15 to 16 inches Durango has received as of this morning from the three-day storm.

Snowfall is expected to be intermittent this afternoon and will taper off into the evening. The storm should be done by midnight, Sanders said.

Snow continues today with the heaviest accumulations near the 4 corners. We'll see lingering showers through this evening. pic.twitter.com/bxOkJE9bsm
— NWS Grand Junction (@NWSGJT) February 22, 2019

Snow Routes (PDF)

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.

Like CDOT at

www.facebook.com/coloradodot

to receive news and traveler information.

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