There may not be much snow at Durango’s altitude, but a series of storms that began Thursday will continue until at least Sunday, dropping some much-needed moisture in Southwest Colorado.
Mountain areas will get from 3 to 4 feet of snow by Sunday, said Jeff Colton, a meteorologist with the Grand Junction office of the National Weather Service.
“Red Mountain Pass was already reporting 10 inches today,” he said Thursday evening. “And some computer models are showing upwards of 40 inches for the San Juans.”
On Thursday, Colorado Avalanche Information Center forecasters notified the Colorado Department of Transportation that the expected heavy snowfall could raise the avalanche hazard level over the weekend.
“In that case, avalanche control work could be underway in the mornings,” CDOT spokeswoman Nancy Shanks said in a news release Thursday night. “It’s always advisable that motorists check www.cotrip.org before heading out.”
The CAIC was predicting 18 inches of snow by this evening on most major passes in Southwest Colorado, including Wolf Creek, Red Mountain, Molas and Coal Bank.
A short respite may take place during the day today, but then the next storm is forecast to hit.
“This is the warm-up storm,” Colton said Thursday. “The heavy stuff will fall Saturday into Sunday morning.”
Durango and points south in La Plata County will see mostly rain or rain mixed with snow except for early morning Saturday, when 2 to 4 inches may accumulate, the weather service said. That’s because temperatures will stay warm, with lows ranging from 23 to 30 degrees and highs from 46 to 50 degrees, throughout the storms.
“This warmer weather is worrisome,” Colton said. “The higher you go, the heavier the snow will get. So the mountains still get a lot of snow, but I’d like to see some stay on the ground in your area.”
Beginning Sunday afternoon, the storm will shift more into the central and northern mountains of Colorado. Another storm front may move into the area Thursday, but right now it looks like it’s trending more toward those central and northern areas, Colton said.
“That’s the story of this winter,” he said. “You all will see one or two storms, then the weather moves north again.”
abutler@durangoherald.com
Weather resourcesTravel information
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