A winter storm dumped 3 to 6 inches of snow across much of Southwest Colorado early Thursday, resulting in sketchy driving conditions for some morning commuters.
For the most part, roads were open and the highway system was functioning as normal, said Lisa Schwantes, a spokeswoman with the Colorado Department of Transportation in Southwest Colorado.
However, U.S. Highway 160 was closed about 5 miles south of Cortez on Thursday morning from about 5:30 a.m. to about 8:20 a.m. after a semitractor-trailer jackknifed near mile marker 31, Schwantes said. The front hill leading to Fort Lewis College in Durango was also closed.
Law enforcement responded to several minor traffic crashes, but Schwantes was unaware of any major crashes other than the semitrailer crash near Cortez.
Purgatory Resort and Wolf Creek Ski Area both reported 3 inches from overnight snowfall as of 10 a.m.
Schwantes described road conditions as slushy or mushy in Durango and more hard-packed north of town as the elevation increased.
She said crews were “out in force.”
CDOT crews were reporting 3 to 6 inches on the mountain passes as of 6:30 a.m., “and it’s obviously still snowing out there,” she said.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Matthew Aleksa said th Southern San Juan Mountains received an estimated 5 to 12 inches from the storm as of 2 p.m. Thursday, while Wolf Creek Pass summit received an estimated 4 to 6 inches of snow as of that same time frame.
Aleksa said the storm was on par for what meteorologists were expecting in terms of precipitation.
“This low pressure system is still rotating. It’s kind of south of Pagosa and Chama, New Mexico and it’s moving to the east,” he said. “We’re getting these bands of snow that are kind of rotating around the San Juans and down to the lower valleys. This may be why it’s not quite snowing there as much (in Durango).”
He’s optimistic the storm will provide another half inch to an inch in the lower elevations of Southwest Colorado with additional snow in the high country.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center reported moderate avalanche danger for areas north of Durango along U.S. Highway 550 as of 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Silverton was not considered in moderate danger, according to the CAIC map.
A moderate rating normally indicates the possibility for a small avalanche with the unlikelihood of it being human-caused.
Snow also impacted Farmington and northwest New Mexico, after several inches of snow accumulated on U.S. Highway 491 between Shiprock and the Colorado line, slowing traffic to 25 mph in places.
San Juan County, New Mexico, spokesman Devin Neeley said the winter storm brought 4 or 5 inches of snow to the Farmington area.
Farmington Municipal Schools canceled classes on Thursday, while Aztec Municipal Schools switched to remote learning.
All La Plata County schools were open Thursday. Schools remained on winter break until Jan. 9 in Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1, Dolores School District RE-4A and Mancos School District RE-6.
U.S. Highway 550 remained open as did U.S. Highway 160 over Wolf Creek Pass as of 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
Herald Deputy Editor Matt Hollinshead and the Tri-City Record contributed to this report.
shane@durangoherald.com; tbrown@durangoherald.com
