Cortez residents awoke Friday to about 5 inches of new snow on the ground, with the heaviest precipitation mostly over. Storm systems this week closed schools and businesses Thursday and Friday across Southwest Colorado.
“Once these clouds and storms move out this morning, that’s kind of the bulk of precipitation Cortez and surrounding areas will see today,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Braeden Winters.
Jim Andrus, a National Weather Service observer, reported that 5.1 inches of snow fell between 11 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. Friday. He called the snowfall “impressive.”
“We got 5 inches in nine hours,” Andrus said.
| San Juan National Forest visitor desk | Closed for the day |
| Montezuma-Cortez School District | Canceled class for all schools |
| Mancos Public Library | Closed for the day |
| Dolores Public Library | Closed for the day |
| Ute Mountain Ute tribal offices | Closed for the day |
| Resort | Base depth | Past 72 hours |
| Purgatory Resort | 47 inches | 30 inches |
| Telluride Ski Resort | 49 inches | 17 inches |
| Wolf Creek Ski Area | 84 inches (midway) | 44 inches |
| Crested Butte Mountain Resort | 53 inches | 24 inches |
| Silverton Mountain Ski Area | 50 inches | 24 inches |
The Colorado Department of Transportation closed Wolf Creek Pass between Pagosa Springs and South Fork. Six plows worked to clear U.S. 160 between Durango and Cortez Friday morning as patchy blowing snow and slick roads affected the area.
A winter weather advisory from the National Weather Service remains in effect for the Southwest San Juan Mountains, the Uncompahgre Plateau and the Dallas Divide until 11 p.m. Friday.
With heavy snow and intense winds, the avalanche risk in the San Juan Mountains was “high” Friday and was expected to drop to “considerable” Saturday. The risk, assessed on a scale of one to five, was at 4 from 6 a.m. Wednesday through 5 p.m. Friday.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center called the storm the “biggest” of the season and reported that several feet of snow accumulated on top of weak snowpack.
Winters projected a few more hours of precipitation Friday morning, noting the potential for isolated snow showers around Cortez and nearby areas.
“We have what I would call a different episode taking place now featuring more chances of precipitation,” said local weather spotter Jim Andrus. “Which comes to a pause this weekend with warmer, drier weather.”
There is a low chance of moderate showers Friday evening. Dolores and Mancos have a similar outlook, with precipitation mainly affecting higher elevations.
“The strongest snowfall should have come to an end,” Winters said.
| Montezuma-Cortez School District | Early release of all students by 3:10 p.m. |
| Dolores School District | Canceled all after-school activities and practices. |
| Mancos School District | Early release of all students at 3:30 p.m., canceled all after-school activities and practices. |
| Dolores Public Library | Closing early at 3:30 p.m., canceled Brain Builders and Yoga. |
| Mancos Public Library | Closing early at 4:30 p.m. |
| Mancos Town Hall | Canceled Planning and Zoning meeting. |
Over the next six days, temperatures are expected to rise, reaching a high of 53 degrees on Monday. Andrus said the moisture from melting snow is much needed.
“At least that will give the snow a chance to melt and soak into the ground,” Andrus said.
But he added that this winter storm will need to be followed by others to make up for the dry season that brings fire and drought risk.
“This is just one event. We need a lot more events like this one,” Andrus said.
After the warm spell, Andrus said another storm system may pass over Southwest Colorado near the end of next week. He cautioned that it’s too soon for predictions.
National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Renwick estimated 2 to 4 inches of snow accumulated in Cortez on Wednesday. According to resident reports to the NWS, Mancos and Dolores recorded 3 and 2.6 inches, respectively, from Wednesday into Thursday morning.
Whiteout conditions, ice and snowpack affected U.S. 160 between Cortez and Durango on Wednesday. With 7 inches of snowfall reported near Rico, the Colorado Department of Transportation warned drivers of weather hazards on Colorado 145 north from Cortez.
At 3:31 p.m. Wednesday, the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook that road conditions were rapidly deteriorating. In the post, the office said it had received multiple reports of crashes and slide-offs across the county and encouraged residents to stay home if possible.
Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin said he knew of two crashes on U.S. 491 and one in Dolores that his office responded to on Wednesday.
“It’s what happens when it snows,” Nowlin said, commenting that the roads remained slick Thursday morning.
avanderveen@the-journal.com
