After a dry January, fresh snowfall finally returned to Southwest Colorado early Wednesday.
The fast-moving storm dropped an inch or less in Cortez and Dolores, and 4-8 inches at Lizard Head Pass and upper peaks, said National Weather Service meteorologist Erin Walter.
The storm favored La Plata and Archuleta counties, with Durango getting 3-5 inches, and Pagosa Springs 5-6 inches.
The mountains around Wolf Creek saw 14 inches in the last 24 hours, Walter said.
“The storm was a combination of a cold front from the north, and southwest winds pulling up Pacific moisture across the desert Southwest,” she said.
Snowfall was expected to linger in the high San Juan Mountains through Wednesday, then leave the area entirely, Walter said. Colder temperatures are expected for the two to three days, then temperatures will warm up next week into the 40s for Cortez.
The overnight snowstorm created wet, slushy and icy conditions Wednesday morning on Colorado Highway 145 between Cortez and Telluride, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. The highway was icy and snow packed between Telluride and Naturita.
The moisture was much-needed, said Jim Andrus, Cortez weather observer for the National Weather Service.
“January saw about 10 flakes of snow, a major turnaround from a very generous December,” he said.
January saw just .05 inches of snowfall, a fraction of the 1.06 inches the area typically receives. Winter season snowfall (October to April) is 11 inches so far in Cortez, or 59% of normal, Andrus said.
Snowpack in the Dolores and San Miguel basins has dropped to 99% of average, according to Snotel stations managed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The shot of snow in the mountains boosted the avalanche warning in the San Juan Mountains from ‘low’ to ‘moderate,’ the second highest on a scale of five from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
“You can trigger a small or large avalanche today, dependent upon which part of the Southern San Juan zone you select,” the Avalanche Center said Wednesday.
Fresh snowfall on top of sun-baked snowpack has created a weak layer susceptible to avalanches.
“Anticipate the new load to be reactive on top of various weak layers below,” states the Avalanche Information Center. “The possibility to trigger a large and dangerous avalanche exists at present and will continue. Avoid traveling underneath steep overhead terrain above you and consider lower angled slopes less than 35 degrees for safer traveling options today.”
As of Wednesday morning, the storm had dropped 2 inches at Telluride Ski Area, 3 inches at Purgatory, 2.4 inches at Hesperus, and 14 inches at Wolf Creek.
