This would not be a good weekend to venture into Colorado’s high country with bald tires or bad wipers.
The National Weather Service is forecasting wind and snow, and more snow, in the mountains for the next two days.
A winter storm warning has been issued for mountainous areas north of Interstate 70 through 5 p.m. Monday, with occasional high winds and 1 to 2 feet of snow. A storm advisory is in effect in the mountains south of I-70, with eight to 15 inches of snow likely.
The snow will be accompanied by winds blowing 20 to 35 miles per hour, “maybe gusting to 50 above timberline,” said Robert Koopermeiners at the National Weather Service office in Boulder. “It could be ugly. Driving could be crappy.”
Together, heavy snow and strong winds are likely to reduce visibility on the roads to near zero at times, making weekend travel hazardous.
On Saturday, multiple accidents temporarily closed the interstate west of Vail, and traffic to Monarch Pass was halted for avalanche control.
The snowstorm is expected to taper off this morning, but increase later in the day and continue through the evening.
The source of this winter blast is a strong jet stream, blowing from the west to northwest above Colorado. “It’s just loaded with moisture,” Koopermeiners said.
None of this moisture is likely to improve the prospect of a white Christmas in Denver. The weather service expects the storm will be limited to the mountains, and its longer-range forecast calls for daily highs in Denver in the mid-40s and 50s this week.
