Cortez received some unexpected snowfall overnight.
Forecasters predicted a chance of snow for the area due to a fast-moving storm system coming from the Pacific Northwest.
But the storm stalled, giving it time to blanket the area with 2 to 5 inches of fresh powder.
“The storm unexpectedly slowed down last night on the Utah-Colorado border,” said meteorologist Julie Malingowski, of the National Weather Service. “It resulted in more accumulation.”
Durango received the brunt of the storm, which dropped 4 to 6 inches, and was still falling as of 9 a.m.
“A band of snowfall is occurring east of Cortez and into Durango,” Malingowski said. “We’re expecting they will get another 2 to 4 inches today and tonight.”
The storm will move out by tomorrow morning.
The extra snowfall was a surprise, said Don Cornett, a Cortez public works foreman.
“They predicted 20 percent and it went to 100 percent at 2 a.m.,” he said.
Three snowplows were out clearing major streets in Cortez by 4:30 a.m., he said. Side streets will be sanded, and a brine solution that works as a de-icer will be applied once the temperature gets above 20 degrees.
A Christmas snowstorm brought over 2 feet of snow to the mountains of southwestern Colorado through Friday.
Authorities are warning backcountry skiers not to venture into remote areas if they are not experienced or prepared.
San Miguel County Sheriff Bill Masters’ warning comes after first responders on Friday rescued a skier and a snowboarder who got lost during a backcountry trek in Telluride’s Bear Creek. Masters says the skier, a 27-year-old man, and the snowboarder, a 39-year-old woman, left the ski area on Thursday and became disoriented.
They sent text messages to a friend who helped authorities locate them. Masters says the two were not hurt, though the woman showed signs of frostbite.
Masters says the pair were lucky. He says it’s too hazardous for his office to send rescuers into Bear Creek at night and “people are going to die out there, cold and alone.”
Wolf Creek ski resort says it got 28 inches. Accumulations of 16 inches were reported both at Beaver Creek and Grand Mesa, while Eldorado Springs near Boulder got nearly 15 inches of snow. Denver got 3.4 inches of snow on Christmas, with some additional dusting on Friday.
Despite light snow, flights at Denver International Airport were delayed by an average of an hour because of de-icing and the extra holiday traffic. About 163,000 passengers were expected to pass through the airport, nearly 20,000 more than on an average day.
Conditions on Interstate 70 were so bad in the morning that the chain law for passenger vehicles was in effect for about four hours between Golden and Idaho Springs for the first time this winter season, Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Amy Ford said. While the law is in effect, drivers must have an eighth of an inch of tread on their tires or use chains for added traction.
The law has been in existence for years but CDOT is trying to raise awareness about it now to help cut down on accidents due to bald tires, which can back up traffic on I-70 during ski season. To test tires, CDOT recommends drivers take the “George Washington test” by putting a quarter in their tire’s tread, head first. If the tip of Washington’s head or more is covered, their tires meet the law’s requirements, Ford said.
So far, drivers aren’t being targeted for breaking the law, but if they get involved in an accident, they could get a citation with a fine around $200.
By early next week, another band of snow is expected to move into Colorado, along with single-digit high temperatures across much of the state.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.