Summit County Citizens Voice

A medium-size slide ran on a backcountry slope between A-Basin and Loveland Pass, showing how slides can start well below a ridgeline in gullies that have been cross-loaded by the wind. Click on the photo to get a closer look at the large debris pile in lower-center part of the image. PHOTO BY BOB BERWYN.

Western and southern mountains once again favored by storm track, with 11 inches at Powderhorn but only a dusting in Summit County

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Ski areas around the state are reporting decent snow totals Wednesday morning, with 11 inches at Powderhorn (on the Grand Mesa, near Grand Junction), 8 inches at Telluride and 6 inches at Wolf Creek and Monarch.

Closer to home, Vail reported 5 inches, with 1 to 2 inches at the rest of the Summit and Eagle county areas. Get the statewide snow report here.

Another wave of moisture is starting to move through the area, and with winds shifting to a more northwesterly direction, the northern mountains could see a bit more accumulation Wednesday afternoon and into Thursday.

But the brunt of the storm will hit west of Summit County, according to the latest advisory from the National Weather Service. The Aspen areas, Powderhorn, Crested Butte and Ski Sunlight could all pick up good snowfall totals during the next 24 hours.

The latest satellite images show a big slug of cold, wet air moving into Colorado. Forecasters with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center are calling for 2 to 6 inches of snow in the Summit and Vail area by Thursday morning, with up to 8 inches on the favored west-facing slopes of the central mountains.

Cloud cover will keep the temperatures moderate overnight, with lows between zero and 5 degrees, highs Thursday 8 to 13 degrees.

Winds the next few days will range between 10 and 25 MPH, transporting the new snow into avalanche starting zones in the backcountry and building new slabs atop an already funky snowpack.

AVy forecasters are maintaining the avalanche hazard at a “considerable” level for many slopes in the backcountry with a good chance for triggered slides on steeper slopes above and near treeline facing north through south.

Please check the full forecast before heading into the backcountry online or by calling the local hotline at (970) 668-0600.

Filed under: avalanches, Copper Mountain, Ski Resorts, skiing and riding, snow, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado Tagged: | avalanches, backcountry, Colorado ski areas, Ski Resorts, skiing and riding, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado, summit county weather, temperatures