Grand County’s ski resorts are reporting almost a foot of new snow from a winter storm that has raised avalanche dangers and fouled up travel across the High Country.
At Winter Park Resort, the snow stick registered a depth over 14 inches by 9 this morning after the resort received 6 inches of new snow over night. The report is reporting 11 inches in the last 24 hours. Down the road at Granby Ranch, there were 7 inches of new snow over the last 24 hours on top of a healthy dose of powder that came earlier this week.
The newest storm, which moved into the area on Thursday and is expected to continue through Saturday, also produced numerous wrecks in Grand County overnight and prompted the Colorado Department of Transportation to issue a travel warning for today.
That’s partly because The National Weather Service is projecting up to 2 feet of snow in areas such as Eisenhower Tunnel, Berthoud Pass, Vail Pass, Cameron and Rabbit Ears Passes with diminishing totals for southern mountain ranges.
Additionally, CDOT is mandating extended closures on Interstate 70 and US Highway 40 this morning for avalanche control. More closures could be possible throughout the weekend.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has also raised the avalanche danger across the mountains to very dangerous with conditions worsening throughout the day.
“This storm is bringing a massive load, and avalanches triggered in the storm snow alone will be large enough to bury you,” the center warned. “Continued strong west to northwest winds will further complicate the problem. Wind-loaded slopes will form slabs many feet thick that can break wider and run further than you might expect.
“Under these unusual and threatening conditions, avalanches may run to the valley floor and travel through terrain that you have deemed safe. The only way to avoid being caught in an avalanche today is to stay well clear of all avalanche terrain and give runout zones a wide berth.”
Editor’s note: This developing story will be updated throughout the day.