Severe Snowstorm Predicted for Colorado’s San Juan Mountains

A significant snowfall event is anticipated to impact Telluride and other areas of Colorado‘s San Juan Mountains over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). This forecast suggests that more than a foot of heavy, blowing snow will make travel hazardous in the affected regions.

The NWS issued a winter storm warning on early Friday morning, which covers both the northwest and southwest sections of the San Juan Mountains. Cities expected to be impacted include Telluride, Ouray, Lake City, Silverton, Rico, and Hesperus. The advisory warns, “Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous,” with the adverse conditions projected to persist through noon on Sunday. “Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” the warning states.

Elevated wind speeds are also expected to accompany the snowfall, with gusts reaching up to 45 mph at higher elevations, which adds to the potential for severe conditions. The NWS forecasts indicate that as much as 3 feet of snow could accumulate on certain mountain peaks.

While the warm weather in recent weeks has delayed significant snowfall events across Colorado, a hazardous weather outlook has been issued for northeast and north-central parts of the state. This outlook suggests snow accumulations ranging from 1 to 3 inches for areas located above 9,000 feet through Friday night.

In the Denver metro area, a different set of weather conditions is expected. Rainfall is predicted to begin after 5 p.m. on Friday and continue into Saturday, with the possibility of thunderstorms on Friday night. Forecasters have indicated that temperatures in Denver will likely not exceed 60 degrees on Friday, with lows dropping to 38 degrees overnight. Wind speeds are expected to range from 7 to 15 mph, with gusts up to 24 mph.