Forecasters Issue Blizzard Warning In Southern Colorado
DENVER (AP) - Weather forecasters in Colorado have issued blizzard and avalanche warnings as Pacific moisture continued to bring snow and strong winds to the Continental Divide on Sunday. The storm is expected to last through Monday, with another storm expected Tuesday.
The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Wolf Creek Pass and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center issued avalanche warnings for the South San Juan, Sangre de Cristo and Gunnison areas. The avalanche danger in southern Colorado has been increased to high.
LINK: Colorado Avalanche Information Center
By Saturday afternoon, the Wolf Creek Ski Area reported a foot of new snow, giving them 5 feet of new snow in the last week. Natural avalanches were reported above Wolf Creek Pass, and the Colorado Department of Transportation triggered a number of snow slides to protect drivers.
On Friday, two skier-triggered avalanches were reported to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center in the southern San Juan Mountains. There were no injuries, but one skier was caught and carried 100 feet after an avalanche released in the Deer Creek drainage. Two more avalanches were triggered by skiers on Red Mountain Pass.
Forecasters said a winter storm bearing down on central and southern Colorado could bring up to 4 feet of snow to some areas by Monday. The warning included Ouray, Telluride, Silverton, Hesperus and Creede. Smaller amounts of snow were expected in Aspen and Vail, which could get 1 to 2 feet of new snow on southwest facing slopes.
The weather service said travel could become hazardous or impossible in some areas.
The storm is expected to leave several inches of snow along the Front Range early in the week
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