Colorado Weather: Heavy Snow Piling Up In Mountains Thanks To 'Pineapple Express'

(CBS4) - Snow is already piling up in the high country! Many ski resorts have reported around a foot of snow on Friday. Snow will continue to fall through the weekend, and possibly through Monday.

This is all thanks to the jet stream parking itself right over our state. This is tapping into the "Pineapple Express," a fun name for an atmospheric river that is bringing moisture all the way from Hawaii. We don't normally get this moisture, but the jet stream is right over us and pumping that moisture our way. So, this means possible feet of snow for our mountains.

We have Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories for the mountains through either Saturday night or Sunday night. The eastern San Juans could see up to two feet of snow, while most other areas are looking at anywhere from an additional 8 to 18 inches of snow.

An Avalanche Warning is in effect through 8 a.m. Sunday for Summit County and the Vail, Aspen, and Gunnison areas. The danger is HIGH (Level 4 of 5) and avalanches large enough to bury a person are likely.

Drivers should watch for icy, snow packed highways and mountain passes. Vail Pass and Rabbit Ears Pass could both be pretty tough this weekend.

Denver may start to get snow on Sunday morning. We don't expect to see much snow, maybe 1 to 3 inches, with more possible on the south side of town toward Monument. We will get cold, though. We drop the 20s on Sunday and after we clear, we'll stay cold on Monday.