Heavy Snow Warning Covers Colorado, New Mexico, Alaska
Multiple winter weather warnings are in place across Colorado, New Mexico and Alaska as a heavy snow warning takes effect for mountain travel. The National Weather Service said snow-covered roads could make travel very difficult through the end of the week.
In southern Colorado, winter storm watches run from Thursday morning through Friday for the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Wet Mountains, Teller County, Rampart Range and Pikes Peak. Forecasters said 6 to 12 inches of snow is possible below 11,000 feet, with as much as 20 inches likely at higher elevations.
Colorado mountains
The wet, heavy snow in southern Colorado could bring down tree branches and cause isolated power outages. That adds a second problem for people moving through the higher terrain: roads may be snow-covered while power lines and limbs are more likely to fail under the weight of the snow.
In northern New Mexico, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Raton Pass are under a winter storm watch from Thursday morning until Friday evening. Snowfall totals are expected to reach 3 to 8 inches in areas up to 9,500 feet, with up to 14 inches above that level.
New Mexico timing
The heaviest snow in northern New Mexico is forecast late Thursday night into Friday morning. For drivers and mountain travelers, that is the narrow window when conditions are expected to turn worst, and it lines up with the period when the watch remains in place.
In Alaska, winter weather advisories remain in effect through Wednesday and into Thursday for parts of the western Arctic Coast and the central Brooks Range, including Point Lay and Atigun Pass along the Dalton Highway. Snowfall is expected to be generally 1 inch along the coast and 3 to 6 inches along mountain passes, with wind gusts up to 30 mph.
Alaska travel
Blowing snow could sharply reduce visibility and make travel difficult, especially overnight on Wednesday and over higher terrain. The National Weather Service said blowing snow can reduce visibility to near zero and increase the risk of collisions and stranded motorists, a warning that puts the clearest risk on drivers headed through the passes after dark.
The weather service is advising residents to stay alert and be prepared as spring snowstorms continue to disrupt travel across large areas of the western and northern U.S. For anyone crossing the Rockies or the Dalton Highway route, the practical step is to expect delayed travel and conditions that can change quickly on snow-packed, slushy and slippery roads.
