Scattered snowball skirmishes broke out among the members of the Anderson family of New Waverly, Texas, on Tuesday afternoon at Santa Rita Park. The trouble started when Joe and Lisa Anderson, left, decided to treat their kids to their first real snow by bringing them to Durango and taking them on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Grace, 7, center, and Luke, 4, right, go on the attack. Not pictured is the Anderson’s oldest daughter, Emma, 9. The park’s snow likely will be replenished by a winter storm forecasted to arrive around 9 p.m. Wednesday.STEVE LEWIS/Durango Herald
Southwest Colorado residents may need to keep one eye on the weather as they celebrate the New Year.
After a brief respite with some sunny days, it looks like the next wave of winter is headed our way. The Grand Junction office of the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning that is in effect from 9 p.m. Wednesday until 9 a.m. Friday morning for all of Southwest Colorado.
“Conditions like this are a really good chance for a decent snow,” said John Kyle, the data-acquisition program manager for the Grand Junction office. “Durango will probably see from 2 to 4 inches Wednesday night and another 2 to 4 inches New Year’s Day, and up in the mountains, they’ll probably see a foot of snow.”
The weather service issued a storm warning for both lower and higher elevations.
“We used to issue a warning based on the number of inches expected,” Kyle said. “Now we issue an advisory based on the impact expected from a storm, and there are likely to be a lot of cars on the road and people moving around because it’s New Years Eve and New Year’s Day.”
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has issued a “considerable danger” avalanche danger warning throughout the Southern San Juan Mountains. The warning level means “dangerous conditions, where cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making are essential.”
Nighttime temperatures are forecasted to remain in single digits through Saturday except for New Year’s Eve, which may reach a balmy 16 degrees.
The consequences of the bitter cold on the Front Range had an impact on Durango on Tuesday.
“All the United flights were delayed because of the weather in Denver,” said Kip Turner, director of aviation at the Durango-La Plata County Airport. “We had one cancelation, but they’re trying to bring in another aircraft to make that flight. And it’s just Denver. The American flight from Dallas came in just fine.”
As always during a stormy time, travelers should check road conditions before setting out.
“I can’t guarantee Red Mountain Pass will be closed for avalanche mitigation New Year’s Day, but typically, they do it with this kind of snow,” said Nancy Shanks, spokeswoman for Colorado Department of Transportation. “They try to do it in the morning when visibility permits.”
Over the weekend, the mitigation couldn’t be done until midday because of visibility, she said.
“They got some dozen avalanches down to the roadway and some that just cleared a slide area,” Shanks said. “Some of those were as high as 10 feet and over 500 feet long along the roadway.”
There is good news associated with the recent storms, Shanks said.
“Red Mountain’s snowpack as of Sunday was at 100 percent” of the 30-year average, she said.
Rockies could see wind chills 50 below
DENVER – Wind chills down to around 50 below zero are possible in the Rockies, as bitter cold arctic air hangs over the region.
Colorado’s Eastern Plains, including Colorado Springs, could see wind chills over 25 to 35 below zero into Wednesday. In southern Wyoming, the National Weather Service says a few locations in the Laramie Valley could feel as cold as 50 below zero with the wind. Elsewhere the temperature will feel like 20 to 35 below.
Sub-zero temperatures covered nearly all of Montana on Tuesday morning, with a wind chill as low as 45 below at Monarch, southeast of Great Falls.
Temperatures are expected to rise all the way into the 20s for New Year’s Eve.
Arctic front hits northern New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE – Parts of northern New Mexico dipped below zero Tuesday as an arctic front moved across the state, bringing with it freezing temperatures and dangerous driving conditions.
The bitter cold, with a wind chill, dropped the temperature to -15 degrees in Clayton and was expected to last at least until New Year’s Day, the National Weather Service said. The winter blast with light snow was expected to plunge further south and west and create hazardous road conditions because of freezing rain and high winds.
The state Department of Transportation said U.S. Highway 82 between Alamogordo and Artesia and New Mexico 206 between Portales and Lovington were ordered closed because of slick roads and extremely slippery conditions.
Snow and ice also were reported on Interstate 25 near Las Vegas and on Interstate 40 near Santa Rosa. In addition, winter weather caused low visibility near Tucumcari, officials said.
A winter weather warning is in effect until 2 p.m. Wednesday for parts of southeastern New Mexico and the state’s Bootheel, with rain and sleet likely overnight.
An upper low pressure system is expected to move east into the state late Wednesday night into New Year’s Day, bringing likely snowfall in the central and western part of the state.
Storm warnings issued in Arizona
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – A major winter storm was heading toward Arizona on Tuesday, prompting forecasters to issue warnings about heavy snowfall and dangerous driving conditions in some parts of the state beginning Wednesday.
Drivers could face icy pavement and reduced visibility at times, the National Weather Service said, with some roads becoming impassable because of accumulated snow.
The weather service said snowfall will increase as the storm moves from west to east across northern Arizona, with the heaviest amounts expected Wednesday evening. Other areas included in the warnings were eastern Arizona and the mountains of southeastern Arizona.
Forecasters said snowfall will range from 2 to 6 inches in areas at elevations of 3,500 to 5,000 feet, and 6 to 10 inches in areas above 5,000 feet. Greater amounts were expected in some areas.
Flagstaff could get 9 to 13 inches of snow between early Wednesday and late Thursday; Prescott could see 4 to 8 inches; Payson 5 to 9 inches, Cottonwood 1 to 3 inches; and Sedona 3 to 6 inches, the weather service said.
Associated Press
Weather information
The Colorado Department of Transportation reminds motorists to check for updated weather information:
Visit www.cotrip.org for real-time road conditions, highway closures, average speeds, photos, live cameras streaming traffic, trucking information and more.
Call 511 to listen to recorded information about road conditions, projected trip travel times and trucker information.
Receive free email/text alerts at www.coloradodot.info by clicking on the green cellphone icon and choose from a list of subscription options.
Follow @coloradodot on Twitter for traveler information and other news.
Like CDOT at www.facebook.com/coloradodot and receive major updates regarding traveler information and other CDOT news.
Visit www.coloradodot.info/travel/winter-driving to get information about what to keep in a vehicle during the winter, how to safely pass a snowplow, commercial vehicle requirements, seasonal closures, snow removal and avalanche control.
Herald Staff
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