GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) –

Western Colorado feels like it skipped the fall season and moved on to winter. Starting today, a winter storm system is expected to bring rain to the valleys and heavy snow to the higher elevations. Numerous winter storm watches have been issued by the National Weather Service. Temperatures in some areas are expected to drop below freezing and wind gusts are extraordinarily fast today and throughout the weekend.

The storm:

There are two winter storm watches that are relevant to our area. The first was issued for the eastern San Juan Mountains, which includes Wolf Creek Pass, North Pass and Cumbers Pass. Between 12 and 20 inches may fall in this region. Up to 36 inches of snow is possible for the highest elevations. A second winter storm watch has been issued for the northwest and southwest San Juan Mountains. These locations include the cities of Telluride, Ouray, Lake City, Silverton and Rico. A snow accumulation of 1 to 2 feet is expected in this area. Traveling on some listed passes and highways may become very difficult this weekend.

Lower elevations, like Grand Junction and surrounding valley towns, expect only rain. The amount of rain expected in these locations is significant but will not have a lasting impact like accumulating snowfall. Wind gusts reaching the 40s are constant in the valleys. Strong winds persist all day today and tomorrow as well.

Cortez expects to experience the first frost of the year in about a day. The freezing point is 32° below. On average, Grand Junction reaches the first frost before October 20. Currently, there is little confidence that this deadline will be met as the region has not been seasonally adapted for a long period of time, meaning that gradual cooling has not been present in recent times.

Summits:

Grands Junction’s high today is in the 70s. Other locations, like Montrose, will reach highs in the 60s.

Copyright 2024 KJCT. All rights reserved.