From The Colorado Springs Gazette:
The National Weather Service says the top of the Grand Mesa and areas around Crested Butte above 9,000 feet could have 6 to 8 feet of snow by Thursday afternoon. The weather service news release says to expect snow of “epic proportions.”
From The Aspen Times:
Heavy snow is possible at times in the mountains surrounding Aspen, with accumulations of 4 to 8 inches, according to the weather service. West winds of 15 to 25 mph, gusting to nearly 50 mph, will reduce visibility.
From The Durango Herald:
According to the National Weather Service, a moderate La Niña cycle began developing in the ocean in late May and has gathered strength in recent months.
Here’s why predicting La Niña is so tricky:
“Colorado is sandwiched between the area to the south where odds favor below-normal precipitation and the area to the northwest that favors above-normal precipitation,” said Jim Pringle, the warning coordination meteorologist with the Grand Junction office of the National Weather Service, This is how we ended up with blockbuster snowfall in the winter of 2007-2008, despite it being a La Niña year.
From The Denver Post (Kieran Nicholson/Joey Bunch):
The highest snow totals are expected over the Grand Mesa and the Elk and San Juan mountains, the weather service reports. Residents in isolated towns, including Silverton and Crested Butte, should be prepared to stock up on food supplies and other necessary items, the weather service said.
From the Sky-Hi Daily News (Reid Armstrong):
Snowpack in the area [Winter Park] has already reached more than 125 percent of its 30-year average as of Friday, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service…
Snow is expected to increase later this evening with temperatures hovering around freezing, and snow will likely continue to fall on and off through Wednesday with a total storm accumulation in the northern mountains of 1-3 feet and accumulations of 15-30 inches in the central mountains. A winter storm warning for areas above 9,000 feet is in effect. “This is going to be a pretty good winter storm,” [Todd Dankers of the National Weather Service] said.
From the Vail Daily:
Three to six feet of snow are expected to fall above 9,000 feet by Thursday afternoon, with some areas getting 8 feet, the service said in its winter storm warning. The warning covers Vail, Aspen, Crested Butte and Telluride and lasts through Tuesday night. Snow is expected to be most intense from Sunday night until tonight. The highest amounts of snow are expected in places other than Eagle County — the Elk and San Juan mountains and the Grand Mesa. “If you reside in these areas, consider stocking up on needed supplies for the next days,” the warning said. For areas between 8,000 and 9,000 feet, total snowfall of 1 to 3 feet is expected, with a mixture of rain and snow possible at times. The town of Vail is at 8,150 feet. For areas between 7,000 and 8,000 feet, 6-12 inches are expected.
From Steamboat Today (Jack Weinstein):
After getting more than a foot of fresh powder this past weekend, forecasters say Steamboat Ski Area will get more — a lot more. “It’s going to be a heavy snow week,” said meteorologist Chris Cuoco, of the National Weather Service’s office in Grand Junction.
The Grand Junction office is forecasting 3 to 6 feet of snow by Wednesday morning at the ski area, Cuoco said. He said most of the snow would fall at elevations higher than 9,000 feet. “You can probably look at a lot of snow in the mountains, but it’s probably not cold enough to get a lot of snow accumulation in Steamboat proper or places like that until late Wednesday when it cools off,” Cuoco said.