“It looks like it’s gonna be a productive storm,” said Jim Andrus, a Cortez meteorologist.
The San Juan Mountains could see 12-18 inches of snow accumulation, but lower elevations will see some heavy snowfall, the weather service said.
Montezuma County is under a winter storm warning starting at 8 p.m. Thursday and ending at 5 p.m. Saturday. La Plata County also is under a winter storm warning, as well as most of Dolores County and a portion of San Juan County, Utah.
A high temperature of 37 degrees is expected Thursday in Cortez, and the low will be about 26 Thursday night. About 2-4 inches of snow is possible Thursday night, according to the weather service.
Snow is expected to continue Friday with a high of 32 and a low of 26. About 3-5 inches of snow is expected on Friday.
Dolores High School has canceled its basketball games scheduled for Friday in Del Norte because of the weather.
There is an 80 percent chance of snow on Saturday, down to a 40 percent chance in the evening, with some snow possible before 11 p.m. On Sunday, there’s a 30 percent chance of snow.
A mix rain and snow mix is expected Thursday afternoon in Montezuma County, changing to snow this evening, according to the weather service. No chain laws were in effect as of 9:45 a.m. Thursday, according to Colorado Department of Transportation.
Though the winter storm warning is scheduled to end Saturday, another winter storm is expected to move through the area early next week, according to the weather service. That storm could bring moderate to heavy snowfall to the area through Tuesday.
The winter has been unusually wet this year.
The Cortez area has received 7.6 inches of snow this year, and 15 inches this winter season. The area has received 1.33 inches of precipitation in January, which is 151 percent of normal.
Check www.cotrip.org for current road conditions in Colorado, www.udot.utah.gov for conditions in Utah and nmroads.com for conditions in New Mexico.