Although the Christmas storm moved out of Southwest Colorado, other storm systems are expected to deliver snow to the region through midweek, and travel conditions remain hazardous for some with slick, icy, snowpacked roads, especially at mountain passes.
The weather service Sunday said a winter storm warning remained in effect above 8,500 feet elevation in Southwest Colorado until 5 a.m. Monday.
Snow accumulations of 7 to 14 inches are expected in the San Juan Mountains above 10,000 feet, along with 55 to 65 mph winds above 12,000 feet.
Snowfall at lower elevations such as Durango and Cortez was possible, although temperatures remained near 40 degrees Sunday afternoon. About noon, winds at lower elevations reached more than 30 mph, according to the weather service.
By noon Sunday, nearly 5 inches of snow had fallen on Molas Pass, 40 miles north of Durango on U.S. Highway 550, in the past 24 hours. About 2 inches had fallen in Ophir, 55 miles north of Dolores on Colorado Highway 145.
Overnight temperatures in the upper teens and 20s were expected in La Plata and Montezuma counties Sunday and Monday nights.
Friday afternoon, a backcountry skier died in an avalanche near Cameron Pass, bordering Jackson and Larimer counties on Colorado’s Front Range.
The death appeared to be the first reported avalanche fatality of the 2021-22 winter season in Colorado.
U.S. Highway 550 was snowpacked and icy Sunday morning from roughly Purgatory north to Ouray. Chain and traction laws were in effect.
U.S. Highway 160 at Wolf Creek Pass reopened Saturday morning after undergoing about an hour of avalanche mitigation work.
Lizard Head Pass near Ophir on Colorado Highway 145 opened about 5 p.m. Friday, and Molas, Red Mountain and Coal Bank passes on U.S. Highway 550 opened around 8 p.m. Friday, according to Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Lisa Schwantes.
Chain and traction laws remained in effect Sunday.
Even though avalanche mitigation was successful, Schwantes urged travelers to remain cautious and to allow extra time for travel.
“The road surface is definitely still icy and snowpacked in places,” she said.
Durango-La Plata Airport reported seven total delayed flights by 5 p.m. Sunday, four originating in Durango, two in Denver and one in Phoenix. Four flights were canceled, two originating in Durango, one in Denver and one in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Tony Vicario, aviation director at Durango-La Plata Airport, said Sunday that weather conditions in Durango were not strong enough to cause delays or cancellations, and local flights were “running more or less on time.”
Vicario suggested that a combination of potential problems including staffing, winds and traffic control at the hubs likely were to blame.
At Durango’s hub of Denver International Airport, for example, 102 flights were delayed and 19 were canceled as of 5:10 p.m., elevating it to the top of flightaware.com’s “Misery Map,” which tallies airport on-time performance. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was second, with 43 delays and 29 cancellations.
La Plata Electric Association announced Sunday morning that 80 customers were still without power in La Plata County. In Archuleta County, 12 had no power, and in Hinsdale County, 14.
The original outage alert was issued at 11:49 a.m. Friday, when 2,122 customers were without power because of 109 separate outages, according to LPEA’s Twitter feed and its its website, lpea.coop. Specific areas of outages and their status can be seen on an interactive map at outage.lpea.coop/.
An avalanche watch remains in effect through Monday morning for the southern San Juan Mountains, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, as well as all Colorado ranges except the Sangre de Cristos of southcentral Colorado.
The level of risk to travelers is categorized as “high” – Level 4 on a scale of one to five – near and above treeline. Below treeline, the risk was “considerable,” or Level 3.
CAIC projected that the avalanche threat Monday in the southern San Juans would decrease to “considerable,” or Level 3.
Ski areas reported snowy Christmas morning conditions as Southwest Colorado entered Day 3 of the storm.
- Purgatory Resort announced Sunday that it had received 20 inches of snow in the past three days. It opened Lift 8 on Sunday, making eight of 12 lifts available. Purgatory reported a 45-inch snow base.
- As of Saturday morning, Hesperus Ski Area reported 12 inches in the past three days and a 24-inch base.
- Telluride Ski Resort on Sunday reported 19 inches of new snow for the past three days. Telluride reported 15 of 17 lifts, 92 of 148 runs and 43 of 148 groomed runs were open.
- Wolf Creek Ski Area on Sunday reported 1 inch of new snow Sunday, and 34 inches for the past three days. Snow was 76 inches deep at the summit and 68 inches at midway.
