Snowdown – The Durango Herald

Pole dancing reels in the crowds

It takes a brave soul to dance on a pole in front of hundreds of onlookers. “(My friends) made me do it,” said Bambi Jeter of Lubbock, Texas, and a senior at Texas Tech, and one ...

DATE: Jan 30, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

The ups and downs at Chapman Hill

The uninitiated might assume the skier would have the advantage. “Take a seat and watch,” veteran Chapman Challenge contestant Steve Ilg advised just before Friday night’s uphill...

DATE: Jan 30, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Twisting the night away

People twisted their bodies into all kinds of shapes Friday night at Moe’s. After several rounds, it came down to Beth Reynolds and Madi Hogarth. In the end, Hogarth p...

DATE: Jan 30, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Wet and wild steampunk

Did somebody say “slushdown”? Umbrellas were a popular steampunk accoutrement on one of the wettest Snowdown Fridays in recent memory. But the weather certainly didn’t...

DATE: Jan 30, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Steam from floats, rain from sky

A little bit of snow mixed with rain, or sleet, or whatever you want to call it, didn’t stop the Snowdown Light Parade from being the big draw that it annually is on Snowdown Friday along Ma...

DATE: Jan 30, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Steamy swimsuits heat up Rochester

With snow falling on the patio of the Rochester Hotel, The Ultra Sexy Steam Swimdown got off to a slow start. Friday’s chilly, wet weather wasn’t ideal for a swimsuit contest, bu...

DATE: Jan 30, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Flour, marshmallows and Spam

With help from FLC, Bed Rally returns

DATE: Jan 30, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Ore House wins top honors at Waiter-Waitress Race

A beer-balloon to the face. India Downing took one for the team Thursday at the soggy Snowdown Waiter-Waitress Race in the alley behind Steamworks. It was the result of a throw fr...

DATE: Jan 30, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

You’ve got to love the game when it comes with pain

Teenagers called the shots at the Steams Vs. Punks dodgeball tournament while adults chucked balls at each other Thursday. The din was deafening at the Durango Community Recreati...

DATE: Jan 29, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Eating takes center stage at Snowdown

Festival’s pursuit of deadly sins examines gluttony

DATE: Jan 29, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Beards battle it out at Carver’s

Nathan Hammond was impressed by the level of competition at Snowdown’s Beard Competition. “I do have a decent beard, and I was really cocky coming into this,” he said. “I am humbl...

DATE: Jan 29, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Itâ€™s a marathon, not a sprint

DATE: Jan 29, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Photos: Funeral procession for Cortez Police Sgt. Michael MoranHundreds of law enforcement vehicles escort the body of Cortez Police Sgt. Michael Moran

Hundreds of law enforcement vehicles escort the body of Cortez Police Sgt. Michael Moran

PHOTOS: Fort Lewis basketball teams entertain Adams StateFLC men win 100-80 on Tuesday, women lose 76-56

FLC men win 100-80 on Tuesday, women lose 76-56

Hundreds attend Candlelight vigil for Cortez police Sgt. Michael Moran

Skyhawks score 41 points off turnovers Monday at Whalen Gymnasium

Snowstorm moves through the areaThe season’s first big snowstorm causes problems for drivers and makes for a winter wonderland

The season’s first big snowstorm causes problems for drivers and makes for a winter wonderland

Photos: Singing with SantaSanta Claus makes his first appearance in Durango

Santa Claus makes his first appearance in Durango

Snow descends on DurangoForecasters say storm could dump 6 inches in Durango area

A fall storm that moved into Southwest Colorado Friday morning was expected to dump 6 inches of snow in the Durango area – more than weather forecasters had initially predicted.Snow started falling about 9:15 a.m. Friday and intensified shortly before 11:30 a.m., blanketing parks, vehicles and the hilltops overlooking the city. Roads became slick about 2:30 p.m. As of 4 p.m., the Durango Police Department had responded to six crashes, in addition to a few stranded motorists.U.S. Highway 160 at County Road 44 near Mancos Hill was closed from around 4 p.m. to just after 6 p.m. because a vehicle carrying an “oversized load” had spun out and blocked both the eastbound and westbound lanes, according to Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Lisa Schwantes.“Right now our officers are able to keep up with the crashes that are coming in,” said Cmdr. Nick Stasi, with the Durango Police Department. “As always with winter weather, we remind drivers to slow down and give extra space for the cars in front.”Snow started accumulating very fast as the day went on, making it “challenging for plow operators to keep up,” according to CDOT.

Southwest Colorado’s five major mountain passes were icy and snowpacked Friday afternoon. But all five remained open as of 4:15 p.m.The Pacific storm favored the southern and central Colorado mountains, said Dave Byers, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.“Durango looks like a 70% chance of getting 6 inches or more of snow by the end of tonight (Friday),” Byers said.He expected a half inch to three-quarters of an inch of moisture from the storm, which is up from the one-tenth to two-tenths of an inch that was predicted earlier this week. Meanwhile, the mountains could receive 1 to 2 feet of snow from the storm, he said.“In the last few days, it has really picked up,” Byers said. “The southern mountains are catching the brunt of it.”The snowy weather didn’t stop Liz Ferrill and her family from stopping by Cream Bean Berry for a Unicorn Sundae. “We thought it might be a festive way to celebrate,” said Ferrill, who was visiting from Snowmass, where the first snow occurred in September.For others, the snow provided the impetus they needed to swap out tires or purchase new snow tires. Andre Payne, a sales person at J/P Tire in Durango, said the phone began ringing shortly after 9 a.m. with people wanting to switch to snow tires.“We’ve been pretty busy,” he said.

It is not unusual for drivers to wait until they see the first snow and then want to swap out tires. The tire shop began advising customers to switch to snow tires about three weeks ago. Some people take the advice, other choose to wait.“We can always tell people what to do, but if you're not ready for it then you have to suffer the consequences of waiting two hours or maybe getting in an accident,” Payne said.Byers said Friday’s storm was the result of a southwest flow pulling moisture from Southern California, Arizona and the Gulf of California.As the moisture-laden atmosphere hits the San Juan Mountains, it wrings out the moisture, he said.Temperatures are expected to cool off as the storm makes its way out of the region this weekend. The highs this weekend will be in the upper 30s, and the lows could dip into the single digits, he said.“There’s still a northerly flow that is pulling cold air down out of Canada,” he said.Byers characterized Friday’s storm as a “shoulder storm” between summer and winter, but he said it is a sure sign that a regular track is settling in for Southwest Colorado.“We’re expecting regular storms … from now on, more into that winter pattern,” Byers said.Residents can expect mostly clear conditions through Wednesday, with clouds moving in the following day ahead of another storm that looks “very similar” to Friday’s storm, Byers said.shane@durangoherald.com; mhollinshead@durangoherald.com

Forecasters say storm could dump 6 inches in Durango area

PHOTOS: Turkey Trot returns to DurangoNearly 600 competitors ran before they gobbled down their Thanksgiving feasts on Thursday

Nearly 600 competitors ran before they gobbled down their Thanksgiving feasts on Thursday

PHOTOS: Durango faces Lutheran in 3A state football quarterfinalsDemons fall to Lions, 39-30, on Saturday

Demons fall to Lions, 39-30, on Saturday

PHOTOS: Fort Lewis basketball teams host doubleheaderThe men’s team beat Western New Mexico 87-68, while the women’s team fell in the final minutes to Northern New Mexico, 67-62

The men’s team beat Western New Mexico 87-68, while the women’s team fell in the final minutes to Northern New Mexico, 67-62

Pole dancing reels in the crowds

The ups and downs at Chapman Hill

Twisting the night away

Wet and wild steampunk

Steam from floats, rain from sky

Steamy swimsuits heat up Rochester

Flour, marshmallows and Spam

Ore House wins top honors at Waiter-Waitress Race

You’ve got to love the game when it comes with pain

Eating takes center stage at Snowdown

Beards battle it out at Carver’s

Itâ€™s a marathon, not a sprint

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