The storm that whipped winds and heavy snow into blinding blizzards across parts of the San Juan Mountains on Christmas Day and today really had its sights set on one high-mountain town.
Silverton residents are calling the Christmas weather “a storm to remember.” It dumped 4 feet of snow there, plunged the wind chill to minus 35 degrees and brought 60 mph winds screaming down from the peaks, making it impossible to see from house to house. The storm piled 8-foot-high drifts around town.
“They got the brunt of it,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Bryon Lawrence.
The storm closed Molas, Coal Bank and Red Mountain passes, boxing Silverton in and closing the town’s two ski areas.
Kendall Mountain — a small, town-operated ski hill — was closed because an ambulance wouldn’t be able to get out of town in the event of an accident. Silverton Mountain, an extreme-terrain area frequented by hard-core skiers and boarders, was closed because the road out of Silverton to the area is impassable and the avalanche danger too high.
Silverton resident Steph Reigh of the Avalanche Coffee House & Bakery, said two Boulder men who had come to Silverton to ski over Christmas helped her shovel her walks this morning “because they couldn’t do anything else.”
The marooned in Silverton were cross-country skiing and sledding around the snow-choked town today. Some were being pulled on skis behind cars on the otherwise abandoned downtown streets.
Over the mountains to the south, Durango Mountain Resort received a little more than 2 feet of snow, and the city of Durango suffered some slick freezing rain under a few inches of new snow.
To the north, Ouray had only about 3 inches after residents there prepared Christmas morning to hunker down in anticipation of several feet of snow and high winds.
“It’s been windy. But the storm was really a nonstarter,” said Joe Salette at Ouray Mountain Sports.
Telluride also was anticipating 80 mph winds, but all it got for Christmas and the day after was blustery winds and 14 inches of powder.
The Grand Mesa near Grand Junction clocked in the highest winds of 70 mph, and at the town of Mack on the Utah/Colorado border, the winds reached 63 mph.
Those winds blew the storm over the mountains to the east, where Aspen reeled in 17 inches of snow, and McClure Pass was closed by drifting snow.
The storm stranded two oil and gas workers who were trying to get home Christmas night from their remote rig in the Piceance Basin northwest of Glenwood Springs. The workers stayed in their vehicle and were rescued without suffering harm when searchers were able to access the area this afternoon.
Lawrence said the southwest part of the state, which has had an unusually snowy December, will begin to see some blue skies this weekend. But cold temperatures, a few more snow showers and winds will stick around for a few more days.
Seven mountain passes remained closed today. Besides the passes around Silverton, Wolf Creek near Pagosa Springs, Lizardhead near Telluride, and La Manga and Cumbres south of Alamosa are closed until they can be ploughed and avalanche-control work is done.
The next system is expected to roll in just in time for New Year’s celebrations.
Nancy Lofholm: 970-256-1957 or nlofholm@denverpost.com
