The Colorado Department of Transportation is preparing to close mountain passes north and east of Durango to mitigate for avalanches in the high country.

Wolf Creek Pass east of Durango and Coal Bank, Molas and Red Mountain passes north of Durango are scheduled to close Thursday morning to allow highway crews to trigger avalanches, said Lisa Schwantes, spokeswoman for CDOT.

The passes were expected to receive 2 feet of snow from a cold, wet storm that blew into the region early Wednesday.

Wolf Creek Pass is expected to close at 6 a.m., and it could take up to two hours to clear the pass of avalanche danger. CDOT triggered eight slides Tuesday morning on Wolf Creek Pass – one of which was done from 7 miles away with a World War II-era Howitzer – and had the road re-opened in 1 hour and 23 minutes, Schwantes said.

Coal Bank, Molas and Red Mountain passes will close periodically beginning at 7 a.m. as CDOT crews trigger avalanches along the U.S. Highway 550 mountain corridor. Travelers should expect delays until at least noon, Schwantes said.

About half a dozen avalanches were triggered Tuesday on Highway 550, two of which dumped more than 5 feet of snow on the highway, Schwantes said.

bhauff@durangoherald.com