A potent winter storm blew in this week, bringing strong winds and the potential for several feet of snow in the San Juan Mountains.
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings and advisories, as well as high wind warnings, for much of the Western Slope, including the Four Corners. NWS meteorologist Braeden Winters said the storm will last through Thursday, with two waves of storm energy bearing heavy precipitation and winds.
“At the start of the storm, most of the snow is going to stay up in the mountains,” he said.
Durango received a dusting of snow and the mountains had received several inches as of Tuesday morning. Citing inclement weather and poor road conditions, La Plata County government and the Bayfield and Durango school districts delayed opening by two hours.
Winters said the NWS expects 6 to 12 inches of snow in and around Durango by Thursday morning.
The San Juan Mountains, on the other hand, could see several feet of snow. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center’s weather modeling predicts 20 to 25 inches in most places of the southern San Juan Mountains by Thursday, with higher local totals.
CAIC issued an avalanche warning for the San Juan Mountains on Tuesday morning ahead of the most intense rounds of snowfall. The center advised backcountry recreators avoid traveling in avalanche terrain through the week as wind and heavy snow were expected to drastically increase avalanche danger.
OpenSnow’s Monday forecast called for ski resorts across the region to see copious amounts of powder. By Friday, Purgatory Resort could receive 32 inches, Silverton is calling for 26 inches, Telluride could get 21 inches, and Wolf Creek could see a whopping 44 inches.
A wind advisory has been issued for much of Southwest Colorado, Winters said.
“We’re expecting up to 50 mph gusts in the valleys,” he said. “If you go up into the mountains, winds are going to be even stronger – anywhere from 50 to 70 mph. So it’s not just going to be a snowy couple days. It’s going to be really windy as well.”
The wind combined with heavy snow could make travel difficult, Winters said.
“Snow is tough to travel in, wind is tough to travel in. You get them both together, and it’s a nasty combination,” he said. “Especially going over mountain passes, where both of those things are going to be the strongest.”
The storm was expected to come in warm followed by rapidly dropping temperatures, which could make travel dangerous at low elevations, Winters said.
“Especially if the storm starts as rain and then that freezes over, you could get some really slick roads down in the valleys,” he said. “That’s not a good combination, either. Travel is going to be difficult everywhere, whether you start with rain or you start with snow.”
Winters advised La Plata County residents to brave roads only if absolutely necessary. If driving in the storm, he said to have a full tank of gas, good tires, and plenty of extra layers and food in case of emergencies.
A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Transportation did not respond to a request for comment. However, information regarding road and travel conditions can be found at cotrip.org.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
