More than two feet of snow is forecast for Colorado’s highest peaks by 5 a.m. Thursday, and the storm is expected to continue into Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
This week’s snowstorm will bring the season’s “most dangerous avalanche conditions,” according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. The agency ranks danger from one, low, to five, extreme, based on the expected size, likelihood and distribution of avalanches.
High and extreme avalanche danger is forecast from Tuesday to Thursday for Colorado’s backcountry, especially in the state’s central mountains, according to the information center.
An avalanche watch will be in effect for the Elk and West Elk Mountains from 9 a.m. Tuesday to 5 p.m. Friday, agency officials said.
The Gore, Elk, Flat Tops and Park mountain ranges will also be under a winter storm warning from 11 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Thursday, though snow is expected to continue into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service issued a separate winter weather advisory for Jackson, Larimer, Grand, Boulder, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Summit and Park counties from 2 a.m. Tuesday to 11 p.m. Wednesday.
Up to 70 mph winds are forecast during that time on Colorado’s mountain passes, according to the advisory. Blowing snow will reduce visibility and may create hazardous, white-out conditions.
As of Monday morning, weather service snow forecasts called for the following amounts to accumulate by 5 a.m. Thursday:
- 3 inches in Estes Park, with up to 4 inches possible
- 6 inches in Eldora, with up to 7 inches possible
- 6 inches in Breckenridge, with up to 9 inches possible
- 7 inches at the Keystone Ski Area Summit, with up to 10 inches possible
- 9 inches in Winter Park, with up to 10 inches possible
- 9 inches on Colorado 9’s Hoosier Pass near Breckenridge and Interstate 70’s Vail Pass, with up to 14 inches possible
- 10 inches on U.S. 6’s Loveland Pass, with up to 12 inches possible
- 10 inches on U.S. 40’s Berthoud Pass near Winter Park, with up to 14 inches possible
- 12 inches on Colorado 125’s Willow Creek Pass near Granby, with up to 14 inches possible
- 12 inches at Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, with up to 15 inches possible
- 14 inches on U.S. 40’s Muddy Pass near Kremmling, with up to 17 inches possible
- 15 inches on Colorado 14’s Cameron Pass near Fort Collins and U.S. 34’s Milner Pass in RMNP, with up to 18 inches possible
- 27 inches on Mount Zirkel, the highest summit in the Park Range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, with up to 33 inches possible
Traces of snow are forecast for the Denver area between Wednesday and Thursday, but daytime temperatures in the 50s and 40s mean any snowfall is unlikely to stick, according to weather service forecasters.
Mountain snow will fall Monday night through Saturday evening, but the strongest waves of heavy snow are expected in the afternoon on Tuesday and Wednesday, forecasters said.
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