Colorado: The storm door is open

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

“You may want to call in sick and ride blue-bird powder for a few days prior to the apocalypse … “        ~Colorado Avalanche Information Center

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A potent weather system is developing for the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

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Winter storm warnings, watches and advisories prevail across western Colorado and eastern Utah. Click on the map for more details from the NWS.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Dreams of a white Christmas will come true for residents of the Colorado high country, as a series of winter storms will potentially drop up to several feet of snow across most of the state’s mountains in the days leading up to Santa’s arrival.

Most of the mountain areas are under winter storm warnings, watches and advisories for the early part of the week, as the wintry weather is expected to culminate with a strong system moving through the area Tuesday night that could deliver some “eye-popping” snowfall rates, according to the National Weather Service, which may soon be issuing blizzard warnings in some mountain zones.

The snow will also drastically increase the backcountry avalanche danger, where special warnings may be issues. Check in with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center for the latest. Already, large avalanches have been reported from a few locations, including Uneva Bowl, a popular powder skiing destination near Vail Pass. (more…)

Filed under: avalanches, climate and weather, Colorado, snow, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Weatherblog: Snowed in!

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Wilderness Sports sponsors the Summit Voice weatherblog. Click to visit Wilderness Sports online.

Great ski conditions, highway closures and backcountry avalanche warning

An old cabin in downtown Frisco, Colorado is buried by new snow as the morning sun hits the Tenmile Range.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Heavy snow and wind gusts up to 99 mph at Loveland Pass combined to deliver a major winter storm to Colorado’s north-central mountains, with some ski areas reporting up to 2 feet of snow. But those same conditions combined to close roads throughout the region, leaving some people snowed in at resorts while the Colorado Department of transportation does avalanche control work at places like Loveland Pass and around the Eisenhower Tunnel along I-70.

As of 9 a.m. Tuesday morning (Jan. 18). I-70 was closed between Silverthorne and Georgetown, and Loveland and Berthoud passes also remained closed. A backcountry avalanche warning for the mountains extending from Vail through Summit County and the Front Range was extended through Wednesday morning.

Backcountry travel is not recommended in slide-prone terrain, where both natural and triggered slides are likely. The high winds and intense snowfall could result in a natural avalanche cycle, including large and destructive slides in some areas.

Snowfall is expected to ease off Tuesday afternoon, which should give highway crews a chance to catch up, but more snow is in the forecast for the area late Tuesday night through Wednesday. Snow will spread across the area Tuesday night and intensify as a cold front cross the area early Wednesday morning, followed by a trough of low pressure Wednesday afternoon that should keep snowfall going. Altogether, another 6 to 10 inches of snow could fall by Wednesday night.

Some Tuesday morning 24-hour snow totals:
A-Basin -12 inches
Breckenridge – 26 inches
Copper Mountain – 17 inches
Loveland – 16 inches

Filed under: Arapahoe Basin, avalanches, Breckenridge Ski Resort, climate and weather, Frisco, La Niña, Ski Resorts, snow, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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