Winter Conditions Affecting Utah, New Mexico And Colorado, 13 Inches Snow Possible

Winter weather conditions will affect the Rocky Mountains through Thursday, and up to 13 inches of snow is possible in some parts of Colorado, officials said. Winter Weather Advisories have been issued in affected states, including Utah and New Mexico.

"High-elevation accumulating snow across the Rockies through Thursday evening as upper-level energy digs southward," the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) said in its Short Range Public Discussion report released Wednesday. The Rockies include Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico and Colorado.

In Colorado, major winter storm impacts are expected in Glenwood Springs, Vail, and some parts of Montrose and Gunnison, according to the WPC.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Boulder, Colorado warned of hazardous travel conditions in some parts of elevated areas. "Conditions should deteriorate overnight," the office said.

In the Northern and Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, 3 to 13 inches of snow accumulations are possible, the NWS in Pueblo said.

The NWS in Grand Junction also noted that mountain travel "will be negatively impacted with snow-covered roads and poor visibility in falling and blowing snow."

Over in Utah, hard freeze conditions are expected for the Wasatch Front, officials at the NWS in Salt Lake City said. Temperatures are expected to drop at or below 28F or -2.22222C in the said area.

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Traffic has also warned of snowfall possibly hampering travel in parts of the state through Thursday morning.

In New Mexico, temperatures are expected to drop below zero in several areas Thursday, including Gallup at 31F or -0.5C, Taos at 27F or -2.7C, Raton at 26F or -3.3C, Red River at 24F or -4.4C and Chama at 23F or -5C, data from the NWS in Albuquerque shows.

Winter Weather Advisory in Colorado effective through 9 a.m. Thursday:

• Central Colorado River Basin

Winter Weather Advisories in Colorado effective through noon Thursday:

• Western Mosquito Range - also Eastern Sawatch Mountains above 11,000 feet
• Lake County below 11,000 feet – also Leadville Vicinity
• South and East Jackson – also Larimer, North and Northeast Grand, Northwest Boulder Counties above 9,000 feet, South and Southeast Grand, West Central and Southwest Boulder, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Summit, North West Jackson and West Grand Counties above 9,000 feet
• Flat Tops - also Elkhead and Park Mountains

Winter Weather Advisories in Colorado effective through 6 p.m. Thursday:

• Gore and the Elk Mountains – also Central Mountain Valleys, Grand and Battlement Mesas, West Elk and Sawatch Mountains
• Northwestern San Juan Mountains

Winter Weather Advisory in Colorado effective from 9 a.m. Thursday through 6 a.m. Friday:

• Sangre de Cristo Mountains – also Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains above 11,000 feet, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains above 11,000 feet, Southern Sangre de Cristo mountains between 7,500 and 11,000 feet, and Wet Mountains above 10,000 feet

Winter Weather Advisory in Utah effective through 6 a.m. Thursday:

• Wasatch Mountains I-80 North – also Wasatch Mountains South of I-80 and Western Uinta Mountains

Hard Freeze Warning in Utah effective through 9 a.m. Thursday:

• Northern Wasatch Front – also Salt Lake Valley and Utah Valley

Winter Weather Advisory in New Mexico effective from 9 a.m. Thursday through 6 a.m. Friday:

• Johnson Mesa – also Bartlett Mesa and Raton Pass