Big Mountain Snow Coming For The Holiday Weekend

DENVER (CBS4) - New snow will measure over a foot at many Colorado ski areas going into Presidents' Day weekend. The first of several storms set to pass over the state arrives on Wednesday.

Mountain snowfall during the day on Wednesday will be generally light. Any accumulation prior to 5 p.m. will be minor. Then heavier snow will slam the mountains during the evening and overnight hours with snowfall rates reaching up to 2 inches per hour. Road conditions will quickly deteriorate and travel will become very slow in the mountains through Thursday morning.

A Winter Storm Warning and Winter Weather Advisory are set to start in the high country Wednesday evening and continue through noon Thursday. Mountain areas north of I-70 including the Rocky Mountain National Park region, Rabbit Ears Pass, and the Flat Tops region will see 6-12 inches of snow during this time.

Accumulation will be less closer to the I-70 corridor but still significant with 4-8 inches for the mountains of Summit County and the Winter Park area. The mountains of Eagle and Pitkin Counties including the Vail, Beaver Creek, Aspen, and Snowmass ski areas will see 6-12 inches from Wednesday night through Thursday morning.

Then we expect a break from snow in the mountains Thursday afternoon before the next storm hits in the high country starting Thursday evening with at least as much snow as the first storm in many areas.

At lower elevations including the Denver metro area, our only chance for snow (or rain) before the weekend will come during the early morning hours of Friday. If we actually get snow, it should not be much.

The bigger issues for lower elevations will be wind for areas west of I-25. A High Wind Warning has been issued through midnight Wednesday night for wind gusts up to 80 mph for locations above 6,000 feet in Larimer, Boulder, and Jefferson Counties. It also includes Douglas County west of Castle Rock and the higher terrain of Park County surrounding South Park including Kenosa Pass.

Another wind related issue on Wednesday is the high fire danger for the southeast quadrant of Colorado. A Red Flag Warning has been issued from noon until 6 p.m. for areas such as Colorado Springs, Pueblo, La Junta, and Lamar.