Snow and freezing fog settled over Montezuma County on Wednesday, bringing low visibility, slick roads and higher-than-anticipated accumulation.
“I’d say the weather is clear and still. It’s clear up to my ankles and still snowing,” said Jim Andrus, an NWS weather spotter in Cortez. “Cortez streets are in fairly good shape – it’s mainly snowpacked and slushy.”
National Weather Service meteorologist Braeden Winters said Cortez had 1.5 inches by Wednesday midmorning. A winter weather advisory remains in effect for northeastern Montezuma County until 2 a.m. Thursday, though it could be downgraded early if conditions lighten.
“It does look like we have probably the most decent snow of the stretch occurring right now,” Winters said Wednesday morning. “We have some pretty low visibility that we're reporting in Cortez. But our models are showing by sunset we should see the vast majority of it gone.”
Andrus reported 0.7 inch at 8 a.m., 1.5 inches at 10 a.m. and 2.9 inches by 2 p.m., with snow continuing to fall.
Based on satellite imagery, he said the storm stretched from central Arizona into Southwest Colorado, carrying winds from southwest to northeast.
“I wonder if by evening we might get, at this steady snow rate of about 0.4 inch an hour, whether it might amount to 4 inches,” Andrus said, noting his total already triples the forecast.
“So far, between now and the end of the system, we’re looking at maybe 3 inches on the absolute highs,” Winters said for Montezuma County. Most locations should expect anywhere from a trace to a couple of inches.
Winters added snow should taper off by sunset: “Maybe some flurries hanging around, but as far as accumulating snowfall goes, by sunset it really looks like it should be gone.”
In the San Juan Mountains, snowfall was heavier, with nearly 6 inches widespread and some terrain getting 8 inches. Lizard Head Pass was around half a foot, while Rico saw 3-4 inches, Winters said.
Visibility issues, slick roads may contribute to driving hazards
Both Winters and Andrus noted low visibility from fog. Winters said freezing fog at the Cortez airport caused visibility to fluctuate between a half-mile and two miles.
Roads remained slick. Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin said deputies responded to six crashes Wednesday morning, all without injuries. Nowlin said troublesome stretches include U.S. Highways 491 and 160, and Colorado Highway 145 north of Dolores.
Andrus urged caution: “They’re going to have to pay attention to their driving,” he said. “Do everything in slow motions — start slow, turn slow and drive slow and brake slow.”
Travel was also affected by snowpacked roads near Durango. Colorado Department of Transportation officials urged travelers to drive slowly, check tire tread and review conditions at the COtrip Traveler Information Map before heading out.
Andrus said the forecast called for just a 20% chance of snow Wednesday evening, with sunshine and moderate temperatures for Thursday and the rest of the week.
Highs in Cortez should reach the upper 30s to low 40s Thursday, with overnight lows dropping into the teens. Winters said current temperatures are five to 10 degrees below normal, though a gradual warm-up is predicted for the weekend.
Winters said another system could bring roughly 2 inches to the San Juan Mountains this week, though it is not expected to have the impact predicted for the northern mountains. He noted model projections have trended higher in the 24- to 48-hour period before recent storms.
“So, up to a couple more inches with that late storm is what we're currently seeing,” Winters said. “Even if there are no winter highlights, that doesn’t mean there won’t be impacts. There can still be slick roads, especially over mountain passes. Be weather aware at all times.”
Andrus said the recent small storms represent a short-term wet variation in what meteorologists have predicted is a three-month outlook of drier-than-normal conditions.
“There will be individual variations like these weak storms that can fly against that trend,” he said. Despite intermittent snowflakes, the overall drier trend could prove accurate.
Wednesday’s snow marks a second round in less than a week. Cortez received 0.7 inch Nov. 30, the first winter snow, Andrus said, which melted the next day.
