Warning issued for Colorado mountains as multiple storms are expected to hit during spring break week
In the past, storms like this have produced "high-side surprises" for certain ski resorts, including Winter Park Resort
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area/Courtesy photo
The Colorado Rocky Mountains are due for another round of snow as the spring break season hits full swing.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for parts of Grand County and much of the mountain region starting at 6 a.m. Tuesday, March 18, and running through 6 a.m. Wednesday, March 19. Travel on the Interstate 70 mountain corridor will be impacted.
Between 4-10 inches of snow are expected, along with winds gusting as high as 60 mph, according to the winter weather advisory. Rabbit Ears Pass, Rocky Mountain National Park, parts of Grand and Clear Creek counties above 9,000 feet, and most of Summit, Eagle and Pitkin counties are under the winter weather advisory.
“Travel could be very difficult,” the advisory states. “The hazardous conditions will impact the Tuesday morning and evening commutes.”
OpenSnow founding meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote in a blog post that Wednesday morning will likely have the best powder conditions this week and that another storm could be in store Thursday into Friday.
Snow could start falling Tuesday morning for 2-5 inches of accumulation by the afternoon, creating the potential for powder for Tuesday’s last chair, Gratz said. In the past, storms with this setup of wind and snow have produced “some high-side surprises for areas favored by a northwest flow, such as Winter Park Ski Area, Loveland Ski Area, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Copper Mountain and Vail Mountain,” he said.
“There is a decently high chance that a few of these spots could see deeper-than-expected snow on Wednesday morning,” Gratz wrote. “The temperature may be a bit colder than the ideal reading for perfect snowflake formation, but that’s just a nitpick as the overall storm setup looks pretty good.”
Then, Thursday is expected to be dry, before a “fast-moving storm” is expected to drop snow from Thursday night through Friday morning, with 3-6 inches of snow expected in the northern and central mountains, Gratz said. Snow will also be possible Saturday and Sunday, with the northern mountains being favored by that storm, though it’s too early to predict snow totals, he said.
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