Southwest Colorado can expect its snowiest week of the year since late May – with a dusting even expected to leave a mark at lower elevations along the U.S. Highway 160 corridor from Pagosa Springs to Cortez.
“I don’t anticipate huge accumulations,” said Scott Stearns, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Stearns said up to 5 inches of accumulation will come in favored spots high in the San Juan Mountains, above 10,000 feet with the northern San Juans expected to get more snow than the southern peaks.
“The storm is going to favor northern and central Colorado. Steamboat is expecting 10 inches, but you could see stronger snowfall in the northern San Juans like Red Mountain Pass,” Stearns said.
A cold front will be coming through with the storm, which is why Durango, Cortez and Pagosa Springs all are expected to see some snow with the first cell that moves through Sunday night and Monday morning.
The chance for snow in Montezuma is 50% Sunday night. Monday during the day, the storm is expected to clear out and leave cold temperatures.
The temperatures will continue to drop as a second cell moves through the region Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, Stearns said.
In Cortez, lows are expected to be 19 degrees Sunday night, 14 degrees Monday night, 10 degrees Tuesday night and 4 degrees Wednesday night. Durango will be a bit warmer with lows Sunday expected to dip to 24 degrees, 16 degrees Monday, 16 degrees Tuesday and 7 degrees Wednesday.
Lows in the high country will be in the teens Sunday night and gradually get colder with the low for Silverton on Wednesday night expected to drop to negative 4 to negative 6 degrees.
In Southwest Colorado, the Colorado Department of Transportation expects the cell moving through Sunday night and Monday to leave heavy accumulations in high mountain passes.
According to CDOT, drivers should be winter ready – that means having snow tires or all weather tires with at least three-sixteenths of an inch tread.
The Colorado traction law requires all passenger vehicles – including four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive – to have appropriate tires for the snow, either snow tires, tires with the mud-snow, M+S, designation, or chains or alternative traction devices such as an autosock.
Four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles can have all weather tires with three-sixteenth inch tread, but other vehicles must have either snow tires or chains.
Tractor trailers and commercial motor vehicles must carry chains and put the chains on their tires when the chain law is in effect.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
