A spring storm brought snow Monday morning to much of Southwest Colorado, including Durango and Cortez, with the wet weather expected to continue through the day.
The storm delivered about 5 inches in Silverton and at Purgatory Resort by mid-morning, said Michael Charnick, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.
The storm was likely to drop another 2 to 5 inches Monday in areas above 8,000 feet before tapering off, he said. Populated areas in river valleys, such as Durango, will likely receive rain, he said, although it was snowing in town as of 11 a.m.
Snow also settled over Cortez and Mancos mid-morning and it picked up again around 4:30 p.m. In the morning, Cortez received a half inch within 20 minutes, Charnick said. The storm could deliver 1 to 3 inches of snow to the Cortez area, he said.
“It’s not going to stick around for too long,” Charnick said.
The jet stream was pushing cold air from the Pacific Northwest, he said.
The high Monday in Durango is expected to be 44 degrees and 50 degrees Tuesday. The high Monday in Cortez is expected to be 47 degrees.
The snow is the first in a series of storms, Charnick said.
“The whole week there is going to be a few different waves of snow coming through,” he said.
The next best chance for snow will be Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. That storm could bring 6 to 10 inches of snow to higher elevations. Areas above 9,500 feet could see the heaviest accumulations. Lower elevations are likely to see rain, he said.
Susan Lilly, public information officer with San Miguel County, reported multiple closures on Colorado Highway 145 late Monday morning, including a closure on Lawson Hill for a head-on, two-vehicle crash.
Morning closures that extended into the early afternoon also occurred at the summit of Lizard Head Pass and from Deep Creek to Keystone. But by 2:30 p.m. traffic was open and flowing normally from Rico to Telluride, Lilly said.
Lisa Schwantes, a spokeswoman with Colorado Department of Transportation, said spring road conditions change rapidly, and anyone planning to travel should check the CO trip.org for travel alerts.
mshinn@durangoherald.com