A storm moving through Colorado that dropped several feet of snow in the mountains Friday is expected to bring up to 6 inches of snow to Colorado Springs over the weekend.
The National Weather Service in Pueblo’s forecast shows that there’s a 30% chance of snow after 11 p.m. Saturday in Colorado Springs, with 3 to 5 inches likely to accumulate in the city by Sunday. One inch of snow is forecast to hit the city Saturday night, said weather service meteorologist John Kalina.
Gazette news partner KKTV’s Lucy Bergemann said she predicts a 100% chance of snow falling Sunday, with 3 to 6 inches possible in the city.
Though the snow should be tapering off by Sunday night, Kalina said, residual cold temperatures could pose problems for Colorado Springs residents. Monday night temperatures are forecast to drop to 5 degrees, and Tuesday night’s to 10 degrees, Kalina said. The high Monday is expected to be 29 degrees, Tuesday 33 degrees and Wednesday 43 degrees with clear skies. Wind speeds are forecast to remain a tepid 5 mph throughout the week.
Across the state, forecasters with the National Weather Service predicted between 1 to 2 feet of snow in the eastern Sawatch and Western Mosquito mountain ranges through 5 p.m. Sunday. Travel in those areas could be “difficult to impossible” near the mountains. Blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility on the roads as wind gusts reach upward of 45 mph.
In Denver Thursday, two rounds of heavy snowfall increased backcountry avalanche danger along the Front Range, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. With a weak pre-existing snowpack, added weight from new snowfall could create dangerous avalanche conditions over the weekend.
A 29-year-old woman killed in an avalanche near Cameron Pass this past Sunday marked the season’s first avalanche death. An avalanche warning for Steamboat and Flat Tops, Front Range, Vail and Summit County, Sawatch Range, Aspen and Gunnison zones is in effect until 8 a.m. Sunday.
Friday morning, eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 were closed at mile marker 176 near Vail, the Colorado Department of Transportation reported. The lanes reopened about 1 p.m. but closed again about 4 p.m near the Eisenhower Tunnel for Hazmat trucks, CDOT tweeted. Skiers were greeted with near whiteout conditions. Loveland Pass was closed as heavy snow began to cover the roads.
Click here for the latest statewide road conditions from CDOT
Breckenridge saw 19 inches of snow Friday, and Arapahoe Basin and Loveland received at least 10 inches.
